


The Dark Sea

by FlightFright



Series: Shore and Sky [1]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Alright my dudes get ready for some gay cats on a beach, Also I'm a hoe for cat genetics, And cats in general, But I'm a hypocrite so what else is new, Gen, I'm dead serious though these cats are gay, Multi, Oh yeah and there will be some stuff with emotional abuse, Or a cliff really lol, Stay safe homeskillets, These are all my characters, Which is kinda funny considering I don't usually read AUs and the like, enjoy this crap, just so you know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-27 21:48:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 53
Words: 153,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14434785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlightFright/pseuds/FlightFright
Summary: For show cats Sven and Red, life is great. They have a twoleg who loves them, a food dish that's always full, and of course, each other. But when an accident leaves the Maine Coon siblings stranded, they end up stumbling right into the territory of TideClan- a tribe of powerful cats who can swim in the ocean without drowning, brave deadly cold winters year after year, and live on a cliff like it was something everybody did. When they offer Sven a home with them, he is quick to accept and persuade his sister Red to join as well.Life as a clan cat is hard, but newly-named Eaglepaw is up for the challenge, especially if it means getting the attention of the cute medicine cat apprentice: the prodigal and fiery Bluepaw . But life on the coast proves a little harder than he expected when rogues from the neighboring twoleg colony start trying to invade. With a mutiny on the horizon against young leader Stormstar and tensions rising higher every day, Eaglepaw must decide who he can trust, and if he can truly follow both clan law and what his soul desires.





	1. Chapter 1

            Spray exploded into the air as the wave hit the cliff and left dark rock glistening in the moonlight. It was a surprisingly clear night, with millions of stars glittering and reflecting off the calm sea. Above, the moon offered little in terms of lighting, but it was enough to see by for most creatures. For the two cats laying together on a small outcropping of rock it was just right.

            This didn’t do much to alleviate the nerves of the enormous black-and-silver she-cat. Her claws raked absently over the grit, like she was subconsciously trying to scratch away her problems. Golden eyes glanced over her companion and the black water below. Her massive size and stern expression didn’t do much to mask her obvious youth, however, which was only one of her many problems.

            The other young cat was a lean colorpoint tom with eyes the color of sea ice. He was notably more relaxed than his comrade, brown paws folded neatly over one another and eyes halfway closed. An onlooker might even call him content with the world. Being dwarfed in size by the she-cat, he enjoyed his personal windbreaker against the freezing ocean breeze. If he was stressed as well, he didn’t do a good job of showing it.

            “Petrelswoop will not be joining us, I take it,” the she-cat finally said.

            “Give him time. He’s a grouchy bag of bones; you know how old cats can be.”

            “Now, Bluepaw, is that any way to talk to your elders?” she asked, but her tone was far from angry. A smile twitched at her whiskers.

            “I wouldn’t get so cocky, oh Fearless Clan Leader. You’re not much older than I am,” Bluepaw teased.

            The black-and-silver female rolled her eyes and batted at her friend. “Which brings us right to our problem. Surely Petrelswoop has received some kind of positive sign from StarClan? A ray of sunlight warming him in his den? A relaxing squat in the Dirthole?”

            Bluepaw snorted. “Boy, I wish. If only he stopped eating so many oysters in a day perhaps the smell of our herbs would mask his… _stomach issues.”_

            At last she cracked up. “My dear Bluepaw! But please, surely there’s been news. StarClan isn’t _that_ cruel.”

            “Stormstar, I-“ The young tom shook his head. “Petrelswoop denied everything after, but while he was sleeping he I heard him talk _‘When the storm breaks, two will come, a brother and a sister. The sister brings knowledge, the brother, the power of love. And nothing will be the same.’”_

            Stormstar’s eyes widened. “Sounds to me a prophecy as good as any. Why would Petrelswoop keep this from me?”

            “This was only this evening. Perhaps he wanted to wait until after you’ve had a good night’s sleep before he sprung an omen on you,” Bluepaw suggested, but both cats knew that wasn’t true.

            “That tom is pettier than any spoiled apprentice,” Stormstar growled.

            The smaller cat put his paw over hers. “The clan only doubts you because you are young. When they see your smarts and strength they will flock back to you, and all of this nonsense can be left in the past.”

            “Why did my father not choose Boulderfoot to become deputy? Or Rainfeather? So many competent older warriors, and he chooses a cat barely out of her apprenticeship.” Stormstar shook her massive head. “That cat was so intent on keeping the power in our family he was willing to risk TideClan’s security and wellbeing. When I share tongues with StarClan next I will give him a thrashing even a spirit will remember.”

            “You fear power even as you embrace it. That is something your father would never even consider.” Bluepaw yawned. “Nine long lives wait, Stormstar. Don’t waste them by fretting like an old queen.”

            Stormstar sighed. “You are right, as always. Please, leave and get some sleep. Your mentor is dreaming of running you into the dirt tomorrow as we speak, I’m sure.”

            Bluepaw groaned and hauled himself to his feet. “Sweet StarClan, don’t I know it.”

            “Goodnight, Bluepaw.”

            “Bye, Stormstar. I better see you running around like a kit on sugar grass tomorrow, medicine cat’s orders!”

            Stormstar’s laughter was cut off by a boom of thunder coming from the storm clouds on the horizon. The sound vibrated in her chest and rattled her teeth. Bluepaw squeaked and dove under a pile of driftwood.

            “Surely it’s not thunderstorm season already!” she complained when the sound passed.

            Bluepaw looked shaken. “Pray it isn’t. Grassbug’s expecting kits.”

            Stormstar swore and buried her muzzle under her paws.

<> 

            Sven’s twoleg was usually a hot mess before competitions, and this time was no exception. The tom didn’t really see what the big deal was- they showed up, sat Sven down for him to be groomed, showed him off to a few other twolegs, and then he was given treats and got to go home.

            His twoleg’s name was _Steven,_ according to Red. Red claimed she could understand him. Sven thought that a load of rat dung, but he was a good brother, and so he let her have her fun.

            Anyways, Steven was fussing over her like she was his own kit, much to Sven’s annoyance. His long fingers brushed through her beautiful torbie fur, fur that had won over the hearts of twolegs left and right. Sven glared at her good-naturedly while Red lounged in Steven’s lap.

            “Attention whore,” he called over.

            “You’re just jealous, my darling little brother.” Red wiggled a golden paw at him. “I may be an attention whore, but I am an attention whore with a very large fanbase.”

            “I am literally five minutes younger than you. Shut your muzzle.”

            “Nah.”

            Sven galloped over and launched himself into Steven’s lap, landing on the offending sibling and crushing the air from her lungs. Red yowled in annoyance, kicked him off, and chased him outside.

            Kicking off a chair, he leapt into the low branches of a pine tree and scrambled up. Red’s teeth nipped at the tip of his tail.

            “Slow down! Once we get to the showing place we can’t eat until it’s over and you’ll be hungry!” Red yelled.

            “You’re just trying to trick me!”

            Red settled on a branch below him. “Fine. Have fun starving the whole evening, you dumb furball.”

            Sven hesitated; she did have a good point, but then Red launched herself at him and knocked him off his perch.

            Sven yowled, twisted midair, and landed on all fours. _“Red!_ You could have killed me!”

            “Nonsense. You fall better than any other cat I know.”

            Sven blinked up at her, surprised. It was rare for her to give compliments.

            The she-cat acted perfectly casual as she readjusted her grip on the branch. “Okay, I’m coming down now. Don’t attack me, or I swear I’ll pee in your water dish.”

            “Yes, my incredible, talented, lovely sister. I hear and obey your every word.” Sven bowed so low his nose touched soil.

            “You better,” she sniffed.

            Steven wasn’t happy with them when they tumbled back into the his nest, little twigs and grass stuck all over them. Sven figured if he and Red were going to be forced to parade around in front of some other twolegs for several hours then they could afford to be a little wild every now and then.

            “Oh, come _on,”_ Sven growled when Steven finished grooming them and brought out those damned carriers.

            “Quit whining. The sooner you get in, the sooner you get out,” Red huffed.

            “I _know,_ I just don’t like it,” Sven hissed, marching over the carrier and shoving himself inside. The thing seemed smaller every time he got in it, and it wasn’t just from the fact he was still growing.

            Steven picked him and Red up and went out into his monster’s den to load them inside. He clambered in after them, making the monster roar, and they were off.

<> 

            Looking back, Sven had a hard time figuring out what the hell had happened.

            The show went just fine. He strutted in front of some twolegs, purring and meowing. He was rewarded with tasty treats. Red was sent off with the other mollies to do the same. He chatted with a big old blue Norwegian Forest named Jasper, who said that this would be his last competition, as he was developing arthritis in his rear legs. Sven wished him luck.

            By the time the show was over he was so bored he was falling asleep. Red had to bat at his ears to get him to wake up and go back in his carrier. Steven seemed amused by this, even if he himself was yawning tiredly.

            The first cool winds of fall felt like the greatest thing since a good splash in Steven’s “bathtub”. Sven meowed a complaint as he was put into the monster, but Red grumbled at him to shut up, already falling asleep.

            Sven humored her and shut his eyes, the low light of Steven’s rectangular box-thing he loved to stare at lighting up the inside of the monster. Sven meowed angrily when the monster swerved suddenly. Maybe it didn’t like it when Steven stared at it, either. His control of the beast seemed a whole lot worse, too.

            “Shut it!” Red hissed.

            “The monster’s mad! Steven’s paying attention to his little rectangular box instead of controlling it!” Sven explained.

            _“Twolegs,_ I swear. Steven! Pay attention to what’s in front of you!”

            That was the last thing Sven heard before the monster spun out of control. Red’s terrified scream was cut short as she was thrown against the clear layer of the monster’s front. Sven himself was slammed against the backrest of Steven’s seat. The monster slammed into something, and the last thing he saw before he blacked out was his twoleg friend slump against the monster’s steering circle.

<> 

            He woke to Red’s frantic cries.

            “Red? _Red!”_ he croaked.

            “Oh, thank the heavens!” she sobbed. “I thought you were dead!”

            “I’m fine. I didn’t even break anything. Are you still in your carrier?”

            “Yeah. Can you bite your way out?”

            “I’ll try.”

            Ignoring the soreness in his whole body, Sven bit at the thin webbing of a carrier wall. The damned stuff was deceptively strong, but he wouldn’t give up. He heard Red doing the same, growling in determination.

            Finally his tongue started to bleed, and he had to stop. It was still nighttime, and there were no other twolegs in sight to come aid their fallen brother.

            “Is… is Steven okay?” Sven asked quietly.

            Red hesitated. “He died just before you woke up. I’m sorry, Sven.”

            A thick knot formed in Sven’s throat. He and Steven hadn’t been particularly close, but he had been a good friend. He had taken care of him and Red since they were kittens.

            “I’m sorry too,” he whispered.

            Red sniffed, breathing shaky. “We’ll be fine. We just have to- oh! Sven, see that little black thing that seals the opening shut? Drag it to the left.”

            There was the sound of Red’s carrier opening, and she tumbled free into the seat with a pained cry.

            “Red?” he bit at the black thing she had told him about and pulled. Mercifully, it opened, and he shoved his way out.

            His sister was a shaking mess on the seat. “Something’s broke in my left paw. Ow.”

            “Can you walk?”

            “I’ve got three other functioning legs, brother dear.”

            He would have yelled at her if he hadn’t been so relieved she was coming back to her normal self. “Well, get off your furry ass. The window back here is broken.”

            Sven carefully clambered out, avoiding the sharp pieces of the clear layer that had protected the inside of the monster from the wind.

            They were on the side of the path monsters traveled along during the day, alongside a massive pine forest. Breathing in, Sven smelled the rich scent of wood and moss and clean air, the many odors of various creatures. The night was still young, judging by the moon’s low position in the starry sky. It was frightening and incredibly intoxicating.

            Red limped up next to him. “Let’s get going. We need to find shelter before something nasty finds _us.”_

            They found a hollowed-out log and curled up together. It was something they hadn’t done since they were very little, but Sven buried his face in his sister’s thick mane, inhaling deeply. Their combined fear-scent slowly faded as they drifted off to sleep.

            That night, Sven dreamed of cats with stars in their fur.

           


	2. Chapter 2

           Sven shot through the water like an otter, chasing a fish half as long as he was. Using his huge webbed paws, he used the current in his favor to give himself a boost. The fish darted the other way. He swung his tail to turn and lashed out at the scaly creature. His claws sunk into the softer flesh in its belly, and he brought his prize to his mouth, ready to deliver the killing blow-

            The ocean fell away, and he landed in the sand. Confused, Sven looked around, only to see a ghost staring at him.

            He leapt away in shock.

             When it did not move, he looked more closely at it- he appeared to be a massive smoky black tom with blazing green eyes. A thick mane of silver fur made him look like a shadowy lion. What made his pelt stand on end, however, was the strange glow he seemed to emit, as well as the glitter in his fur, like he had taken a dust bath in pure starlight. Sven trembled a little.

            “At ease, boy.” The tom’s voice was deep and rolling, like thunder. “I come in peace.”

             Sven swallowed dryly. “W-Who are you?”

            “I am Nightstar. I bring you an offer.”

            The tabby really hoped this was some kind of trip from something he’d ate. Maybe one of those twolegs who had given him treats had slipped in something poisonous. Yeah, that had to be it. He’d wake up any second now, safe at home with Red and Steven-

            Nightstar seemed to read his thoughts. Green eyes narrowed to fiery slits. “There is no room for fear now. From now on, your life depends on your own decisions, not the coddling of your twoleg. Sit up!”

            Sven sat up, tail bushed in fright.

            How did this cat know about Steven? Had he been watching him somehow?

           “Good. You will meet a very special cat soon, one that I need you to watch over. My legacy depends on her, but my clan refuses to acknowledge her rightful place as leader. I am not asking much, so it would be very wise of you to think carefully about this.”

           “I don’t under-“

           “I’m not finished. If you do as I say, I will guide you to a destiny far more amazing than you could ever imagine. Have I made myself clear?” The huge black tom glared down at him.

           Sven dipped his head. “Yes, Nightstar. But how will I find this cat?”

           “Worry not about that. Focus on survival and keep your head up. And keep an eye on this special cat when you meet her.”

           “What do you mean by destiny? Is there-“

           “For StarClan’s sake, kit, shut your muzzle! Had I known you squawk like a nest of crow chicks I would have gone to your sister instead. I already told you I will guide you and not to worry. Now go to sleep!”

            Nightstar rose, and Sven cowered in his endless shadow. The dream dissolved, leaving behind the taste of salt in his mouth and a pair of green eyes narrowed at him from the dark.

<> 

            Sven woke up with a gasp.

            Immediately he realized two things: One, he was still unbelievably sore, and two, Red was nowhere to be seen.

            He charged from the hollow, eyes wide with fright, and almost ran his sister over.

            “Gah! Watch where you’re going, you bumbling hairball.”

            “Sorry. I didn’t know where you were,” he panted. Then he noticed Red’s muzzle was bloody and she was holding a dead rabbit underneath her paws.

            Sven’s eyes widened. “You caught that? No way!”

            Red grinned smugly. “With a bad paw and a sprained hind leg, no less. I saved some for you. No need to thank me.”

            “You must be feeling better if you’re back to being an insufferable prick,” Sven grumbled as he took a bite. It was the best thing he’d ever tasted.

            “Eh. Paw’s still out of commission, but it’s healing. Leg’s sore but hey.” She licked her injured foot delicately. “You smell weird. Like salt.”

            Sven looked up, licking his chops. “And you smell like dead rabbit and fungi.”

            “Shut up.”

            The tabby tom ate the rest of the animal and sat back, relishing the taste of blood on his tongue. That had been his first taste of fresh meat. “So where are we off to?”

            Red stretched carefully. “While I was hunting I smelled water. Not just any water, either. I think we’re some ways away from an ocean. Twolegs love beaches and swimming, so if we go there we can probably get some help.”

            “Sound logic. Let’s go.”

            Sven took the lead, excited. He’d never been to an ocean before. Red had shown him “photographs” of the ocean Steven made with his strange rectangle glow thing, and they looked awesome but terrifying. He hadn’t even known so much water could exist in one place at once.

            Despite the fact Red was obviously in a lot of pain, she took great pleasure in pointing out several different species of plants, animals, and birds. There were little bluebirds that flitted about from branch to branch- Sven liked those immediately. The little sharp-looking gray-and-black birds were called shrikes. The little gray and brown ones that chirped sweetly from the thicket were warblers. This went on for awhile until Red’s voice grew hoarse from overuse and Sven made her stop. She lasted about an hour before she started talking about the pines.

            The big trees with the slender needles were white pines. Sugar pines had big wooden cones. Lodgepoles had much smaller seeds and grew closer to the sea, Red explained, so that meant they were getting closer.

            They stopped to drink from a puddle. The water was so cold and sweet Sven’s head spun, and he shivered. Red stuck her paw in it to numb the pain and groaned in relief.

            It was almost fun until Red’s stomach growled.

            “I’ll get you something,” Sven said.

            “No, I’ll get you something. You must be hungry too.”

            “You caught a rabbit for us this morning. Wait here.”

            “No, you wait here.

            “No, _you_ wait here!”

            Red huffed. “Alright, how’s this: whoever comes back with the smallest piece of prey has to check the other for ticks tonight. We meet back at this big white pine.”

            “Deal!”

            The two cats galloped off.

            Sven stalked along the underbrush, mouth open to take in every scent he could. There was the sweet, dusty smell of some kind of ground bird, moss on that tree over there, the sharp aroma of a mouse. He’d caught mice in Steven’s backyard all the time (not that he’d known one was actually supposed to _eat_ them), so he decided he’d try for something else.

            The smell of an unfamiliar animal made him take pause. Carefully, he slipped forward, watching every step.

            The scent grew stronger as he passed by a clump of ferns. He sniffed at the air, and then blinked at something perched on a low branch of a large pine.

            It looked very much like a weasel, except it was much bigger and had a slightly bushier tail. Its muzzle was long and narrow, almost like a dog’s, but its muscular, flexible body was almost like Sven’s own.

            It spotted him a second after, and tilted its head in surprise. Large, dark eyes locked with his own, and blinked. Was it intelligent? Sven stepped forward, tail raised in curiosity.

            The creature answered his question when they rasped, “You are not from around here.”

            The tom’s eyes blew wide. “You can speak!”

            _“Every_ living creature has a voice, kit, if you listen carefully enough. Now begone! This is my territory.” Their tail bushed threateningly, and it stood up to arch their back and hiss.

            Sven stood his ground. “Please, my sister and I were injured by a monster yesterday. Allow me to take one prey animal from here so I don’t have to be apart from her longer than necessary. We’ll be on our way immediately, you have my word.”

            “I care not for ‘words’! But I do not kill young, no matter what species. Take a critter and leave, kitten, before I change my mind.” The animal laid back down on their branch.

            “You have my gratitude.” Sven bowed and left quickly.

            He put a good distance between himself and the animal before he let himself fall back into a hunting crouch. Scanning the area with his nose, he picked up the woody aroma of a squirrel. He traced it to the foot of a large reddish tree, not a pine but nothing like he had ever seen before. Crouching, he leapt up and scaled the trunk. Higher and higher he went, aiming for a little knothole in the upper reaches of the tree.

            An angry chatter made him freeze. A small, furry head poked out of its nest, growling softly at the intruder below.

            Sven was impressed by its bravery, but he was also very hungry. As fast as he could, he swung himself up on to the nearest branch and catapulted himself at the squirrel. It shrieked angrily and ducked back into its den just as Sven collided with the tree.

            “Gah!” He held on for dear life, hind legs scrabbling to find a grip. For one terrifying moment he skidded down, but at the last second he hooked a paw around the entrance of the squirrel’s nest and pulled himself back up. Extending his claws, he slashed blindly and was rewarded with an angry screech.

            It was his turn to scream as he felt sharp teeth fasten into the flesh of his paw. He yanked it out, flinging the squirrel through the air in the process.

            Sven let himself fall and land on one of the thicker branches, leaping down as far as he dared each time. The squirrel laid on the ground below, stunned but unharmed.

            He decided to change that.

            Gathering all his courage, he let himself drop.

            Just as the squirrel stumbled to its feet it got crushed by a falling cat.

            Sven almost yowled his victory before he remembered that strange weasel animal was probably watching him. Picking up his prize, he retraced his path back to the white pine.

            Unsurprisingly, Red was already there, with a crow in her jaws. She was breathing heavily, but her eyes were still bright with excitement.

            “I won!” Sven yelled, his voice muffled by squirrel fur.

            Amber eyes narrowed, and Red dropped her crow. “I think not! That tail doesn’t count, it’s not like you can eat it.”

            “Pluck all those feathers off and see what you have,” Sven retorted.

            “Admit it, Sven. I won this round.”

            “No!”

            Red smiled smugly at him. “This bird’s feathers are lying completely flat, believe it or not. Trust me, that string of meat you call a squirrel has nothing on my crow. Also, what took you so long?”

            Sven growled in frustration, but he was too tired and hungry to argue anymore, so he shut up and dug in. His sister settled down and joined him.

            “If you must know why I was so late, I ran into this strange creature. They spoke to me,” Sven explained. “That animal was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen. They looked like a weasel, but it had a snout like a dog and a body like a cat! They told me they would let me hunt on their territory because we’re injured as long as we leave soon.”

            “You let it know we’re injured? Sven!” Red scolded. “We’re not safe at home anymore, you know!”

            “It’s not a big deal. Besides, they said they didn’t eat kits.”

            “I don’t trust anything other animals say,” Red sniffed.

            “Ugh. You’re so paranoid.”

            They finished their meals in silence. Red was still glowering at him as they left the clearing, but Sven ignored her in favor of watching the birds. His paw still stung from the squirrel bite, but if Red wasn’t whining then he wouldn’t either.

            A cool breeze wafted through the trees, and Sven opened his mouth to taste it. The scent of salt pricked the back of his throat.

            Red hobbled forward, anger forgotten. “We’re almost there!”

            Sven trotted after her, tail pricked in excitement. They slipped around a bush, Red in the lead. Ahead, the trees thinned and the ground became increasingly more rocky. The smell of salt water became stronger and stronger. A dull roar filled the air.

Sven found himself standing at what felt like the end of the world.

            Far below, the ocean crashed deafeningly against boulders even bigger than Steven’s monster. The water was unlike anything he had ever seen- deep blue-green and capped with white foam. Long-winged seabirds glided through the air, calling to each other in high-pitched wails. A pair of them folded up and dove into the water with hardly a splash.

            Out in the distance, dark blue storm clouds gathered and cast its shadow across the sea. It lit up as lightning struck. For a brief second, the water appeared pure white. The echoing boom of thunder made Sven’s fur stick straight up.

            “There’s no twolegs!” Red cried in frustration. “Now what?”

            Sven was utterly entranced. “Who cares? This place is _incredible.”_

            “Brother, dearest.” Red sounded like she was struggling not to lose her temper. “Survival is going to be a whole lot more difficult without the aid of twolegs! We’re hardly more than seven moons old and can barely take care of ourselves. We’re going back to the monster path. Surely now that it’s daytime a twoleg might find us and bring us home.”

            Sven stared at her in disbelief. “How could you want to go back to living in a twoleg nest? I’ve never felt so alive. Besides, the monster path is dangerous. You could get killed!”

            “It’s better than dying out here!” Red yowled. “At least monsters are mercifully quick in their kills. Let’s go, Sven, before I drag you back myself!”

            Sven growled deep in his throat. “You always treat me like a kit! It might be nigh impossible to convince you that you’re no better than any other spoiled show molly, but your controlling behavior ends now. I’m not going back to the twolegs. Do whatever you want. I don’t care anymore.”

            Red gaped at him in shock. The tom nodded in satisfaction and stormed off.

            He walked along the cliff’s edge, enjoying the wind in his fur. His heart was still stinging, but he shoved the feeling away in favor of taking in the view. Thunder cracked again. His ears popped as the air pressure began to go down.

            Ahead of him, a rocky break in the cliff led straight down into the sea. Sven peered over the break, slightly dizzy with fear from the length of the drop.

            “Sven! Get away from there!”

            Sven rolled his eyes. Great.

            He heard Red galloping towards him, and targeted a ledge on the other side of the dip. He sprinted forward, crouched, and leapt.

            Red’s shocked squeal made him laugh as he landed safely on the rock.

            “What’s the matter, sister dear? Heart can’t take the excitement?” Sven called up to her. “Come on down, it’s more sheltered from the wind.”

            The torbie hissed furiously. “I’m going to kill you when you come back up!”

            Sven leapt from pawhold to pawhold until he was almost where Red was. Then he sat down and cleaned his bitten paw. It felt hot.

            “Is that paw infected? Come here, let me look at it,” Red ordered.

            “Nah, I’m good.”

            “Quit being an ass! Get out of there before you fall!”

            “The rock’s nice and warm from the sun. I might stay here for a while.” Sven yawned and slumped tiredly against the cliffside.

            Red’s angry growls faded. Sven cracked an eye open. Had she really left?

            He was just about to head back up to check on her when another scent rose above the ocean’s salty mist. Sven’s eyes widened as the unmistakable aroma of other cats hit the roof of his mouth. He bolted to his feet, but the ledge was barely big enough for him as it was.

            One leg slipped off. Unbalanced, Sven yowled and scrabbled frantically at the rock, but he was already falling to his death.


	3. Chapter 3

            He might have heard Red scream just before he hit the water with enough force to send the taste of copper into his mouth.

            Water pulled and pushed at him from all sides, sending him tumbling heads-over-heels into the deep. Sven kicked and managed to rise towards the surface- at least he thought it was the surface. There was no up or down in the ocean.

            By some miracle, his head broke into open air.

            He shrieked in fright as a towering wave slammed down into him. Above, he faintly saw the sunlight breaking through, and he paddled towards it. This time, Sven knew to hold his breath when another wave rolled by. He spotted the shore in the distance- how had he gotten so far away already?

            A small russet-and-gold spot was sprinting along the cliffside. _Red!_

            Sven tried to yell at her to get away from the edge, but he barely had enough air in his lungs to keep breathing. His heart pounded in his chest and wracked his whole body with spasms. Water smashed into him from behind and sent him back under.

            His mouth filled with water as he made the mistake of gasping for air. Sven coughed painfully, trying to dislodge the liquid from his lungs even as he struggled towards the chaotic water above.

            His whole body began to feel heavier and heavier. Weakly, he pawed at the sun, which was getting dimmer. Was the storm he saw earlier here? Where was Red?

            Green eyes slid shut.

            And then teeth sank into his scruff and yanked him up.

            Cold air hit his face like a punch. He was suddenly staring out at the horizon. Lightning flashed, closer this time. Sven kicked feebly in alarm.

            “Quit kicking me!” a voice growled, muffled by the grip they had on his neck.

            Had Red come to save him? She wasn’t much of a water molly.

            Sven was too weak to fight back, so he went limp. If this was how he died, he figured that there were stupider ways to go.

            He didn’t know how long that lasted, with teeth in his scruff and a strong, muscular body underneath his. The mystery cat’s stamina and strength seemed unending. Had this creature’s sire been a fish?

            After what felt like a century he felt sand beneath his hind paws. He pushed against it feebly, wheezing. The cat laid him in the sand. They- she? yelled for somebody.

            Small, slender brown paws rolled him over on to his stomach. Something whacked him in the back and he vomited up what looked like a whole other ocean. He coughed until he threw up again, trembling furiously.

            Red’s torbie fur flashed briefly at the edge of his vision. Completely spent, he let himself go limp.

            He must have blacked out, because the next thing he knew he was looking at a pair of the bluest eyes he had ever seen, set in a slender, dark face. Beautiful, shell-pink and brown ears perked as they locked eyes.

           Sven’s head spun, and he realized he had forgotten to breathe.

           Then he puked again.

           His aid called Red over and told her to lick him to warm him back up. Somebody else was speaking. Sound came in muffled and distorted until it didn’t. Something was pressed to his mouth.

          “Eat these,” the blue-eyed cat ordered. “They’ll get the rest of the water out.”

           Sven did as he was told. His stomach began to churn uncomfortably, and he vomited one last time.

           “Good! Stormstar, go tell Petrelswoop to get a nest ready. Tell him it’s for drowning. You… Red, was it? Help me get him to his feet.”

           Red’s familiar scent filled his nose as she pushed him to his feet. Sven groaned and leaned against her, legs quivering from strain.

           His eyes fixated on a small tom before him. It was the blue-eyed cat who had made him eat leaves and punched him in the back.

           “Thank you,” Sven managed.

           “Mm-hm. That’ll teach you; hopping all over the cliffs like that!” he snarked. “Is he always this dumb?”

           “Hey!”

           “Unfortunately,” Red grumbled as they limped along. The little tomcat snorted- Sven recognized him to be a Siamese, and led the way up a rocky path.

            “Who are you?” Sven croaked.

            “My name’s Bluepaw! And you are Sven.”

            “I’m- yeah. That’s me.”

            “I think the water got into his brain, too,” Red snickered. Bluepaw laughed and raced ahead, yelling to a massive black-and-silver she-cat with amber eyes.

            The she-cat walked with them. “Bluepaw, that paw’s infected as well. And make sure you look at Red’s legs, something’s off with her front left and back right.”

            “You don’t say,” Bluepaw said dryly. The she-cat cuffed him upside the head and almost sent the small tom flying. “Ow! Watch it, you giant buffoon. Sven, Red, this is my clan leader, Stormstar. Do as she says or she’ll sit on you. Also, she’s the one that saved your life today.”

            “That happened once, Bluepaw,” Stormstar complained.

            “Clan?” Red questioned.

            “Yes. You’ll get to meet them shortly.”

            Sven’s head was spinning.

            Sure enough, they passed several cats on the way up the cliff. Two nearly identical tabby toms nodded at them before continuing their conversation. A red-tailed calico raced by them, carrying a fish in her mouth. An enormous silver queen strolled by with some kits riding on her back. Several young cats around Sven’s age carried more fish up another path, joking around and shoving each other. Finally, they arrived at the mouth of a massive cave.

            “You guys all live here together?” Red asked in amazement. Sven could practically see her brain buzzing.

            Stormstar nodded. “Yes. This is TideClan’s camp. This cave here is connected to all the other dens in one way or another. Makes getting around a whole lot easier.”

            “Amazing,” she breathed.

            “Stormstar!” a deep voice bellowed. Sven jumped and turned to see a massive grizzled tom prowling towards them. He was a gray tabby, old and scarred all over. Muscles bulged beneath his thick pelt. The tom looked like he could snap Sven in half without a second thought. He gulped.

            “Oh, fantastic,” Stormstar muttered under her breath. Then, louder, “Yes, Stone-eye? Did a kit take a dump in your nest again?”

            The old tom scowled. “Very funny. I was just making sure you weren’t spilling all our clan secrets to these strangers. At least wait until you’ve offered them a place here before you start jabbering.”

            “Funny you say that, Stone-eye, considering the fact it was you who gladly gave the camp’s location away to that band of rogues last moon simply because you wanted a fight,” Stormstar said breezily. “And watch that attitude; I am clan leader. My word is law.”

            “A place here?” Red hissed to Sven.

            Stone-eye’s pale green eyes were bright with anger, but he dipped his head in respect. “… Yes, Stormstar. I apologize for my temper. Please, carry on.”

            Stormstar smiled as the tom paced off. When Stone-eye was out of sight, she rolled her eyes and made a harsh gagging noise. “If anybody can get the stick out of his ass for me that would be _great._ But I digress. And yes, Red. TideClan is open to all cats… Should they be brave and strong enough.”

            “Brave and strong enough for what?” Sven asked.

            Stormstar’s grin widened. “We’ll talk more after you’ve both rested up.”

            Sven wanted to hear more about TideClan, but the clan leader and Bluepaw herded them into the cave. “Follow me, mollies and toms. We’re going on an adventure.”

            Bluepaw’s “adventure” consisted of a short trek to what Sven was told was the medicine den. Inside the den was a large, plump old tom, scarred like his fellow warriors.

            “Petrelswoop, we have guests,” Stormstar announced.

            Petrelswoop had tired brown eyes and grayed tabby fur. He looked away from Stormstar dismissively and saw Red and Sven.

            Immediately he broke into a welcoming purr. “Well, look at these two young ‘uns! Bluepaw, where’d you find them?”

            “Stormstar saved Sven from drowning. Red here wisely didn’t even try going near the ocean. Also Sven threw up on me.”

            “I did not throw up on you!” Sven protested.

            “Yeah you did! It got on my paws!”

            “Bluepaw,” Petrelswoop sighed. Bluepaw stopped taunting Sven from behind his mentor and plopped his rear on the ground. “Go make a couple of splints for Red and put Sven’s paw in salt water before that bite gets infected.”

            “Got it!”

            “Thank you, Petrelswoop.” Stormstar gave the medicine cat a nod and left.

            Sven guessed the old tom was going deaf, because he didn’t respond and instead helped Red and Sven to their nests. Bluepaw brought Sven a shell filled with salt water.

            “Stick your paw in this.”

            Sven did as he was told. “Why am I doing this? It stings.”

            “Salt water helps prevent infection. Duh.” Bluepaw stuck his tongue out at him before laying down with him. “So what brings you two to TideClan territory?”

            Red spoke up. “My twoleg lost control of his monster and it crashed. We were in it, so that’s how I was injured. Sven got thrown pretty badly. We figured that if we found the coast there would be twolegs that would help us, since they like to swim, but…”

            Bluepaw clucked sympathetically. “I’m sorry. I used to be a housecat too, back when I was a kit. Did your twoleg…”

            “He died.”

            “Damn.”

            They laid in silence for a long moment. Sven couldn’t stop staring at the slender tom. He couldn’t fathom how he survived out here on the cliffs, with cats that were triple his size and an ocean below waiting to pull any unsuspecting creature into its depths.

            Red’s ears drooped tiredly, and she rested her head on her paws. Sven followed her lead, and before he knew it he was asleep, chasing away dreams of his old twoleg’s broken form and the snarling of enraged monsters.

 


	4. Chapter 4

            A sharp yowl from outside was what brought both Sven and Red out of their sleep.

            Red glanced anxiously at him. “I think that was Stormstar. Let’s go.”

            They gingerly padded out from the medicine den and made their way to the mouth of the cave. The scent of cats hit Sven’s nose, and he exhaled through his mouth, trying to figure out how many there were. He was fairly good at it from practicing during all the shows he had been to. He was pleased to see that he had been right when he followed the smells up a short, rocky path and came before a crowd of a couple dozen cats.

            The vast majority of them were huge and muscular- Maine coons, Norwegian Forests, even a few Siberians and American Longhairs. Sven fit right in, much to his relief. He was used to being the largest cat out of all his neighborhood friends, and had been the butt of many jokes because of it.

            “Friends, meet Sven and Red,” Stormstar called. The clan leader was perched on a large boulder, silhouetted in gold by the setting sun. “They came to us earlier today when their twoleg’s monster crashed and died on the side of its long black path. Sven showed great promise when he fell in the ocean and refused to let it take him without a fight. When I rescued him and brought him back to shore, Red here showed great courage as she assisted Bluepaw in saving her brother’s life. This all happened when they were still injured from their accident, mind you.”

            A few cats nodded, looking impressed. Sven caught a flash of large brown ears in the assembly, and he perked up when he saw Bluepaw. The medicine cat apprentice grinned and winked at him. Deep blue eyes glowed in the shadows.

            He almost missed the next part of Stormstar’s announcement.

            “- Greenleaf draws to a close we will need more strong cats to help provide for the clan in the cold season. That being said, I’d like to extend an invitation to Sven and Red to become members of TideClan.”

            Sven’s eyes widened.

            In his peripheral vision he saw Red’s brows crease, and her gaze glance down. “Stormstar, your offer is very generous, but I-“

            “I accept,” Sven said. “You have my thanks. I will serve TideClan with everything I have.”

            Stormstar lifted her head proudly, and considered him for a short moment. “Then let StarClan bear witness to the naming of this new apprentice. Until he has earned his warrior name, he will be known as Eaglepaw.”

            A low chant filled the air, slowly rising in volume.

            _“Eaglepaw! Eaglepaw!”_

            “Welcome to TideClan, Eaglepaw!”

            “A little fat, isn’t he? He’ll be a great swimmer.”

            Bluepaw slipped his way through the crowd and bumped against him. “Not bad, Eaglepaw. I’ll be looking forward to seeing your ugly mug every day.”

            Eaglepaw grinned, excitement pounding through his whole body. “I can say the same about you.”

            He felt somebody staring into the back of his head, and he turned to see Red, eyes narrowed. She looked uncomfortable.

            Nervousness grew in his stomach, and he trotted back over to her.

            “I can’t do this, Sven,” she muttered.

            “Yes, you can. Please, stay here with me. It’ll be great!” he promised. “I know this is scary, but do you really want to live out the rest of your life in a twoleg nest? Just laying around all the time, seeing the same old things again and again?”

            His sister hesitated, thinking. Then she nodded and looked up at Stormstar.

            “I-I accept as well,” she stammered.

            The huge black she-cat nodded approvingly. “Then may StarClan also look at this young apprentice with great favor. Until she has earned her warrior name, she will be known as Redpaw. Welcome to TideClan, young kits.”

            Another chant filled the air, this time calling out Redpaw’s name. The torbie blinked, looking totally overwhelmed.

            Stormstar held up a paw to silence the crowd. “Eaglepaw, your mentor will be Boulderfoot. Redpaw, your mentor will be Flameflash. You both learned much from Stoneye and the late Fawnbriar, and I expect you to pass everything down to these two young cats.”

            Two warriors got up and padded towards them. The huge black tom with white paws was Boulderfoot, Eaglepaw realized, and he eagerly reached up to touch his nose to his in greeting. Boulderfoot sat down next to him, patting his paw reassuringly.

            Redpaw’s mentor, Flameflash, was a fluffy calico she-cat with a ginger tail. She all but tackled her new apprentice out of excitement, making Redpaw squeak.

            Stormstar leapt down and padded over to them. The clan dispersed, chatting with each other and congratulating Eaglepaw and Redpaw as they passed.

            Boulderfoot nodded to the clan leader. “Good evening, Stormstar.”

            “Boulderfoot.” Stormstar shoved against him merrily. “Quit acting like StarClan themselves have come down to groom the brine out of my fur! Let us go fishing, like old times.”

            The tom’s formal appearance melted away, and he chuckled and swatted Stormstar. “As my great leader wishes. Eaglepaw, go ahead with your sister and make yourself a nest in the apprentices’ den. Rest up, tomorrow is a big day.”

            Eaglepaw wanted to pout until Boulderfoot let him go wherever they were going, but Redpaw grabbed his tail and dragged him away, grumbling.

            Bluepaw laughed as Eaglepaw reached out for him, silently imploring the other apprentice to rescue him from his sister’s clutches. The little tom pranced off with Petrelswoop. Eaglepaw groaned.

            “You’ll thank me later when the warriors don’t throw you over the cliff because they got tired of your whining,” Redpaw scolded. “Now smooth down that neck fur before we go meet the other apprentices. You look like one of those hairballs Old Thomas from down the way would hack up.”

            Eaglepaw was in too good of a mood to let her nagging make him mad, and complied. Flameflash caught up with them and led them to the apprentices’ den.

            “Tomorrow we’ll patrol the borders, and then we can go hunting- Well, I guess I’ll have to teach you first, anyways. And then we can practice basic fighting techniques, and maybe even check out the tidepools later, those are always so pretty in the evening. Okay, get lots of sleep, smell ya later!” Flameflash kissed Redpaw’s cheek and galloped off, yowling to get the attention of some ginger-furred queen.

            Redpaw blinked. “What just happened?”

            A snort of laughter came from the apprentices’ den, and a beautiful black she-cat with a white chest poked her head out. “That’s Flameflash for you _. Wayyy_ too happy in the mornings. And in general. Come on in.”

            Eaglepaw slipped inside and took in the sight of several other young cats talking, sleeping, or half-heartedly wresting in the case of two apprentices in the corner. The den itself was a hole in the cave wall, naturally lined with moss.

            “Come on, Otterpaw! That’s the best you can do?” the golden tom cackled. The other apprentice, a sleek brown cat with sea-green eyes, grunted and flipped the tom on to his back. He coughed and whacked at Otterpaw, obviously winded.

            “Hey guys, meet Eaglepaw and Redpaw,” the pretty she-cat called.

            A chorus of hellos filled the den. The fallen golden tom kicked Otterpaw in the face.

            The black-and-white she-cat rolled her eyes. “Ignore them. My name is Aukletpaw, the gray-and-white she-cat over there is Dustypaw. The brown tom is Otterpaw, and the moron on the floor is Softpaw. Try to sleep on the side of the den opposite to them because they can barely last a moment without trying to beat each other up.”

            Eaglepaw nodded at his fellow apprentices. “Uh, should I just grab some of the moss…?”

            “Yes, Eaglepaw,” Aukletpaw said patiently. “Unless you want to feel like you got dropped into the ocean on your backside tomorrow.”

            Eaglepaw made a face at her and chose a spot beside Dustypaw. She seemed to be one of the saner cats of the bunch. The she-cat mumbled a sleepy hello before falling asleep with the next breath she took.

            Redpaw kicked some moss into a shallow dip in the floor next to him and laid down. She looked very tired despite the fact they had slept for a while earlier.

            “You okay?” he asked.

            “I just…” she shook her head. “I just hope we made the right decision.”

            “We have,” Eaglepaw insisted. “You’ll see. We’ll grow more here in a day than any housecat will in their whole life.”

            Redpaw sighed, her amber eyes already sliding shut. “You better be right, brother dear, or I’ll kick your ass.”

<> 

            Eaglepaw felt like he had barely closed his eyes before something was prodding his shoulder. He groaned a complaint and swatted at the nuisance. The dream he’d been awoken from had been so nice; there had been a bunch of big fat mice running around, just begging him to chase them…

            “Yo, chubby! Up and at ‘em before I get your sister in here!”

            That got his attention.

            Eaglepaw jolted upright with a snort. “I’m awake!”

            Otterpaw’s tail twitched. “Uh-huh. Move it.”

            He followed the other tom outside. Below, the sea glittered in the pink light of the dawn, the sky still softly hued from the rising sun. The air was salty, crisp, and fresh, and Eaglepaw felt dizzy just by inhaling deeply. His fur was ruffled by the cool morning wind, like the world was greeting him for the first time.

            Boulderfoot was waiting for him, along with Flameflash and Redpaw, Aukletpaw and some cream-colored she-cat, Softpaw and a big blue tom, and Dustypaw with Stone-eye. Eaglepaw wondered why such a nice cat like her would get apprenticed to a mean old tom like him. Stone-eye seemed to catch on to his thoughts and glared at him crossly.

            “Alright, we’ll divide and conquer,” said Boulderfoot. “Flameflash, Eggfur, with me. Oceansong, Stone-eye, make a loop in the opposite direction. We’ll meet at the caverns at sunhigh and continue around the borders.”

            Oceansong, Stone-eye, and the apprentices took off, while Eaglepaw followed Boulderfoot and the rest of the group.

            His mentor smiled down at him. “This morning we’ll patrol the borders of our territory. TideClan’s boundaries are vast, so don’t tire yourself out right away by rushing about.”

            “Yes, Boulderfoot,” Eaglepaw meowed. He slowed his eager trot to a stealthier pace. Behind him, Redpaw was looking around at the massive cliffs and the endless shining sea, eyes wide. He couldn’t blame her.

            They continued along the cliffside until they reached a narrow path that led down to the shore. Boulderfoot led the way, stepping quickly but carefully along the rocks. Eaglepaw trotted after him and kept as close to the cliff as he possibly could. Redpaw squeaked behind him, and she tripped and skidded.

            “You good?” Flameflash asked.

            “Yeah,” Redpaw huffed.

            Boulderfoot led the patrol down to the sand and out to the sea. The thunder of waves was so loud Eaglepaw could feel it in his paws. The cool saltwater rushed up to meet him, splashing gently over his paws. Yesterday’s events came back to his mind, and he swallowed nervously, keeping close to his mentor.

            Suddenly, the big white she-cat who was Aukletpaw’s mentor- _Eggfur_ , Eaglepaw reminded himself, sprinted out into the spray and crashed down on something. She lifted her dripping head, a fish caught securely in her jaws.

            Eaglepaw’s eyes widened. “Whoa, nice catch!”

            Eggfur flicked her tail, pleased. “You’ll learn how to do that very soon. Have you ever tasted fresh fish before?”

            “No.”

            “Come have a quick bite. You too, Redpaw.”

            “What, none for me?” Flameflash asked playfully.

            “You’re round enough as it is, my dear Flameflash.”

            “True.” Flameflash puffed up with pride.

            Eaglepaw cautiously took a bite from the fish. It tasted oily and wet, but not in a terribly bad way. He swallowed, licking his chops and considering the aftertaste. Then he blanched.

            “It’s an acquired taste. After your fifth fish, you’ll always be wanting another,” Eggfur promised. “Aukletpaw, no. Go get your own.”

            Aukletpaw halted her steady advance with a huff and trotted off with Boulderfoot. Eaglepaw ran after them, followed by the other cats.

            This time, he watched carefully. Aukletpaw paid close attention to the water as she strode along the edge of the water. She paused after a considerable amount of walking, crouched, and leapt into the sea.

            She disappeared completely underwater for a moment. Eaglepaw looked on, anxiety building in his throat for every breath she didn’t come back up.

            “Um-“ Redpaw started, but Eggfur shushed her.

            Just before Eaglepaw was bracing himself to jump in after her, Eggfur be damned, the surface of the water was shattered by a large black head. In Aukletpaw’s mouth was a fish of some kind, except its fins were much thicker and its body was strangely long.

            “Great StarClan, she caught a shark kit!” Flameflash screamed.

            Aukletpaw scrambled to shore, her prey still thrashing wildly. Flameflash and Boulderfoot were yowling in excitement. Eggfur took the “shark” from her apprentice and helped her kill it. Redpaw was shrieking and jumping up and down. Eaglepaw got a look at the serrated teeth in the creature’s mouth and leapt backwards in alarm.

            “What is that thing?” he squealed.

            “It’s a shark!” Redpaw squawked. “Those things can _kill_ you!”

            “This one’s only a kit,” Boulderfoot assured her, his fur still bushed in excitement. “But an incredible accomplishment nonetheless. Well done, Aukletpaw!”

            Aukletpaw looked like she was going to explode with pride. Eaglepaw grinned and punched her shoulder.

            The black apprentice buried her catch by a boulder, and they continued on their way. Boulderfoot pointed out the camp in the distance as they reached the opposite end of the bay. It was just a speck, hidden almost completely by the sea spray and mist.

            They hiked back up the cliff, which took a considerable amount of effort. The trail was narrow, steep, and seemed to threaten to dump Eaglepaw off the edge if he took so much as one wrong step. Redpaw almost took a spill after she bumped into him.

            “Walk faster!” she hissed.

            “You walk slower! I’m not about to fall to my death!”

            He felt sharp teeth prick at his tail, and he flicked it into her face so she got a mouthful of sandy fur.

            “Redpaw! Eaglepaw!” Boulderfoot scolded.

            The rest of the trek was silent.

            When they made it to the top Eaglepaw groaned and flopped in the grass. Redpaw was out of breath as well, so he didn’t feel too embarrassed.

            Aukletpaw snickered. “You two look like beached fish.”

            “Unnngggghh,” Eaglepaw complained.

            “We still have some ways to go. Up and at ‘em!” Flameflash said cheerfully, all but dragging them to their feet.

            As they trotted into the woods, Eaglepaw was reminded of something.

            “When I was traveling through these woods a few days ago I saw this really strange creature. It had the face of a dog but it had the body of a cat. It looked kind of like a weasel?” Eaglepaw prompted Boulderfoot.

            The warrior tilted his head. “You must have met a marten. They’re not very big, but they have a nasty bite. Be careful if you run into one again.”

            “This one spoke to me. They let me hunt in their territory because my sister and I were injured, and that they didn’t kill kits,” Eaglepaw said.

            “It _spoke?”_ Boulderfoot said in disbelief. “I’ve never spoken with anybody but cats. Are you sure this wasn’t a dream?”

            “I’m positive,” Eaglepaw meowed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Redpaw mutter something to Aukletpaw, her multicolored ears twitching. Embarrassment made his ears hot as he wondered if his sister was making fun of him behind his back. 

            There were no martens in the forests, at least none that any of the cats could see. Flameflash chased a squirrel up a tree and snapped its spine with one clean bite.

            Eaglepaw’s stomach rumbled. He hadn’t eaten since yesterday.

            Boulderfoot bumped his shoulder with his. “Go catch something. It’ll be good practice.”

            The young tom raced off eagerly.

            He went far enough so that the patrol was out of eyesight, but that he could still scent them with a good breeze. Sunlight dappled the forest floor in various shades of gold. Eaglepaw lifted his head to the sky, enjoying the warmth.

            His stomach rumbled again, and he quickly got down to business. He quickly picked up on the scent of a vole. The path led away from the patrol. Eaglepaw decided he’d find them eventually and followed the scent-trail.

            To his delight, the scent got stronger and stronger. A soft rustle in the thicket made him crouch closer to the ground, wriggling in anticipation. He pinpointed the source of the noise and prepared to pounce.

            Another rustle dislodged a leaf from the bracken. Eaglepaw realized that whatever was in there was much bigger than a vole. He tried to smell it, but the wind came in from behind, bringing only the sweet scent of sunshine and forest.

            Eaglepaw’s eyes narrowed, and he attacked.


	5. Chapter 5

            A startled screech pierced the air as Eaglepaw landed on his opponent. Sharp teeth fastened into his leg. Snarling, Eaglepaw tackled whatever it was out of the thicket, but before he could blink he was flung through the air. He landed with an audible _thump_ on his shoulder and wheezed in pain.

            The scent of a familiar cat filled his nose, and Eaglepaw squeaked in shock when the shadow of a slender tom was cast over his face.

            _“Bluepaw!”_ he yelped. “I’m sorry! I didn’t smell you!”

            Bluepaw was laughing so hard he could barely talk. “Quite alright, Eaglepaw! Great StarClan, you just about scared the fur off me. What are you doing?”

            “Hunting,” he said feebly.

            The other apprentice snickered. “Have you ever hunted before?”

            “Of course I have!” Eaglepaw spluttered as he flipped to his feet. “I may have been a spoiled housecat, but I was a spoiled housecat who could fend for himself if need be.”

            “Mmkay,” Bluepaw said easily.

            “Watch this!” Eaglepaw dropped into a crouch and found the vole scent from earlier. The creature was most likely hiding in its burrow from the racket, but he wouldn’t give up that easily. He heard Bluepaw trotting after him, small paws barely making a sound.

            Sure enough, the trail led right into a small hole under a shrub.

            Bluepaw gave him a doubtful look.

            “Be ready,” Eaglepaw told him. He found the back entrance hidden under a root nearby. Taking a deep breath, he yowled into it and started digging.

            A flash of brown shot out from the other hole and right into Bluepaw’s talons, who killed it with a single bite to the neck.

            The other tom was shocked. “Good StarClan! I’ve never seen a trick like that.”

            “It’s just teamwork.” Eaglepaw shrugged. “I saw some dogs do it once and tried it out with Redpaw.”

            “Interesting,” Bluepaw murmured. “You should tell Stormstar about it. She’s always looking for new ideas on everything.”

            Eaglepaw nodded, crouching down with him to share the vole. Between bites, he asked “So… what’s this StarClan I’ve been hearing about?”

            Bluepaw almost choked. “Nobody’s told you about _StarClan?”_

            “Uh… no?”

            “StarClan’s only the clan of spirits that guides us to our destinies! They’re our ancestors, our friends and family. As a medicine cat it’s my duty to interpret any omens they send our way. You can see them at night in that band of stars that stretches across the sky.”

            Eaglepaw’s brows furrowed. “What? Those are just stars. You can’t be saying that the souls of dead cats are up there.”

            “Maybe not in the world as we know it.” The smaller tom’s eyes seemed to glow with the knowledge of something far greater than Eaglepaw could ever imagine. “But there’s always something more to everything.”

            He was so enthralled by Bluepaw’s words he almost missed Boulderfoot calling for him in the distance.

            Bluepaw butted his shoulder. “Go catch up to them before Boulderfoot begins to think about lining his nest with your fur. And don’t forget your vole.”

            “But you’re the one who caught it.”

            “And you’re the one who had a plan in the first place.” Bluepaw grinned and raced away into the forest, shockingly fast for a creature so small.          

            Eaglepaw huffed and tore into his prize, savoring the rich flavors the woods had filled the vole with. The pangs in his stomach ceased, and he ran off to rejoin the patrol.

            “Took you long enough!” Redpaw snickered, shoving into him. “Did you fall into the ocean again?’

            “Shove off. I ran into Bluepaw and we practiced a hunting technique,” Eaglepaw explained. “If one stands at the back entrance of an animal’s den and pretends to dig into it, the animal will panic and run out into the claws of a waiting cat.”

            Redpaw sniffed. “Wouldn’t it make more sense if every cat hunts individually? More prey could be caught that way.”

            “I hypothesize that Eaglepaw’s way would have a higher rate of success,” Aukletpaw said thoughtfully. “Eggfur?”

            The older warrior’s green eyes glinted with pride. “Look at the three of you, using your brains instead of your claws all the time. Let us take this idea to Stormstar when we get back.”

            “That’s what Bluepaw suggested,” Eaglepaw remembered, smiling.

            Redpaw nodded thoughtfully.

            They must have been traveling through a peninsula, as Eaglepaw soon found himself at the edge of another cliff. However, it wasn’t as intimidating as TideClan’s camp, as it was a much shallower drop to the beach.

            Eggfur led the way down, with Aukletpaw barreling ahead once they got to the shoreline. The black-and-white apprentice joyously galloped off into the surf. She chased something through the shallows, only to trip over her own paws and get a mouthful of saltwater. She hacked noisily but didn’t let it stop her fun. Eggfur joined her, dunking her apprentice under the surface and laughing when Aukletpaw came back up, spluttering.

            Eaglepaw had never seen any cat so happy about water. He himself loved a good romp in a puddle after a good rainstorm, but this was something else entirely.

            “Are all TideClan cats so… fond of the sea?” Eaglepaw asked.

            Boulderfoot laughed. “We are a tribe of fishers, Eaglepaw. The sea sustains us and makes us strong. It gave us our home on the cliffs. How could we not love water?”

            Redpaw trotted down to Eggfur and Aukletpaw. Eaglepaw followed her, with Boulderfoot and Flameflash bringing up the rear.

            Hesitantly, Redpaw placed her paw into the sea. A wave rushed up to greet her, spilling over all their paws. She shuffled forward and squeaked when her belly fur became soaked.

            A rush of memories surged through Eaglepaw’s mind, as powerful as the ocean waves as they had pushed him underwater. His throat became thick, like he was drowning again, his vision closing over-

            “Hey, chubby!”

            Eaglepaw squeaked as he was shoved forward. Otterpaw cackled and punched his shoulder before leaping into the water. He blinked as the small brown tom swam powerfully against the waves.

            Softpaw limped up to the tabby, and for the first time Eaglepaw realized that Softpaw was lame. His back left leg was twisted oddly, and it was less muscular than his other three. It wasn’t very noticeable, but it still made Eaglepaw wonder what had happened. Dustypaw joined them and shifted anxiously as Softpaw pranced into the water.

            Stone-eye huffed as he noticed Dustypaw hanging back. “Go on, don’t be shy.”

            “Come on Dustypaw! If I can do it, you can do it!” Softpaw yowled, diving underwater.

            Dustypaw gulped and scooted forward. Eaglepaw thought Stone-eye was going to lose his patience at his apprentice’s reluctance, but instead he waded in with her, muttering encouragement as she started to swim.

            Boulderfoot noted his apprentice’s surprise. “Stone-eye may be a bit bad-tempered, but he’s always had a soft spot for any cat he mentors.”

            Redpaw screamed as a wave crashed over her head and scrambled out on to the sand. Her previously fluffy fur was slicked down from the water, giving her the appearance of a drowned rat. Cackling, Eaglepaw batted her dripping ears. She growled at him.

            “Alright, alright. That’s enough fooling around.” Stone-eye hauled himself out of the water, thick gray fur shedding water in thin rivulets. “Boulderfoot, make sure you get that apprentice into the water sometime soon.”

            “But of course,” Boulderfoot said politely. “In fact, I’ll have him make the Jump first when we get back to camp. Tradition and all that.”

            Stone-eye seemed satisfied with that. Dustypaw hauled herself out of the water, followed by Softpaw, who shook himself off with vigor. His spiky golden fur bushed out in every direction, making him look like a small porcupine. The patrols split up again and continued on their way.

            Redpaw glanced over at him as they followed Boulderfoot back into the forest. “Why didn’t you come into the water with us? It wasn’t so bad once you get used to it.”

            “I… I dunno. I was going to, but then it was like I was out drowning in the ocean again.” Eaglepaw shook himself. “And what do you think Boulderfoot means by making me jump first? What am I jumping off?”

            Redpaw shrugged. “How should I know? And don’t worry about the swimming. You’re a Maine Coon, for crying out loud.”

            “Says the molly who screamed when she got her fur wet.”

            “At least I actually got in the water.”

            “At least I’m not a pretentious know-it-all who acts like she’s better than everybody else all the time.”

            Redpaw screeched and tackled Eaglepaw, who retaliated with a bite to her shoulder. She yowled angrily and swatted him hard. His temper was already inflamed, and so he had no qualms about digging his back claws into her stomach until she shrieked and let go.

            “Alright, that’s enough!” Boulderfoot dragged Eaglepaw away by the scruff, while Flameflash settled for just sitting down on her apprentice. “I expect you two to behave from now on. If not then I will have no choice but to let Stormstar deal with you.”

            Eaglepaw hissed angrily. He heard Softpaw snickering behind them, and then Aukletpaw chiding her friend.

            He was in a very foul mood as the tide began to roll out. Redpaw’s anger prickled at the back of his nape like fleas.

            _What a brat. If I get lucky she’ll eat a bad fish!_

            Breaking into a short gallop to catch up with Boulderfoot, he entertained himself by watching the seabirds spiral around in the air. At least they seemed to be having a nice day. Maybe when they got back to camp he could ask Aukletpaw to teach him how to fish, or hang out with Bluepaw, if he wasn’t busy talking to spirit cats or whatever.

            Something pinched his paw, and he yowled in pain.

            _Ouch! What the-_

            Eaglepaw raised his bleeding foot to find what looked like a giant spider with a shell and two beady eyes staring up at him. It hung from his paw very casually, emitting an almost Redpaw-esque passive-aggressive vibe.

            Then he squealed and leapt into the air. The shell-spider went flying and landed in the sand with a soft thump before scuttling off, disgruntled. Eaglepaw found himself flat on his back, staring up at the cloudy sky, and feeling very dead inside.

            “Ow,” he mumbled.

<> 

            When they got back the sun was curving its way down the sky. It was well past the height of greenleaf, but the days would be long and warm for a little while longer. Cats lounged out on the rocks, chatting and eating. A group of elderly toms and queens stretched out together on one large boulder, soaking up the sunshine and either napping or telling a group of kits a story.

            Eaglepaw glanced up at Boulderfoot, wondering if they were going to go do fighting practice, but the black tom gestured for the patrol to follow him down the cliffside.

            “Where are we going?” he asked.

             Dustypaw hummed nervously and bumped his shoulder. “Oh, just an old TideClan tradition. Don’t worry, this is my first time too.”

            “First time for… what?”

            Aukletpaw charged by them, followed by a smirking Redpaw. “Hurry up, slowasses, before I get Stone-eye to throw you in!”

            “Noooo, you wouldn’t!” Dustypaw wailed, chasing after her. Eaglepaw gulped and followed her.

             They came to what Eaglepaw supposed was the lowest point of the cliff the clan could reach. It was still quite lofty, though, and he saw the long-winged seabirds flying beneath them as they fished. The sea surged below them in dark whirls and spitting foam, reminding him of an enraged animal, a hostile beast longing to cast its wrath on any other living thing.

             He gulped, backing up from the edge, only to be stopped by Boulderfoot.

            “Wait, wait-“

             Boulderfoot nudged him forward, laughing. “Oh, no you don’t. Oh, look, we’ve got an audience. Hello, Stormstar!”

             Sure enough, when Eaglepaw looked up, the massive she-cat was bounding down the rock to meet them. What looked like the entire clan gathered above, cheering and whooping. A queen yelled “You can do it, Otterpaw!”

            “The Jump is a very important tradition to any young apprentice. Remember, we’re all here for you,” Stormstar told them. “Who’s going first?”

           “Eaglepaw,” Boulderfoot volunteered. “By Stone-eye’s request.”

           “Very well.” Stormstar grinned down at Eaglepaw, who was becoming very concerned. She strode forward and led him to the cliff’s edge. “TideClan tradition says that every apprentice truly begins their training with their first fall.”

           “Fall?” Eaglepaw squeaked.

           Stormstar cackled, gesturing to the waters below.

           He thought he was going to faint. “No way.”

           The clan leader wiggled her ears.

           “You can’t be serious. That’s not even possible. Why would-“

           “You want to be a part of this clan? _Jump,_ Eaglepaw.” Stormstar stalked towards him, amber eyes glowing in the evening sun. “If you fear the ocean, you fear this path you have chosen to walk.”

           Eaglepaw gulped, glancing back at his patrol. Stone-eye’s one good eye betrayed no emotion. Redpaw looked afraid. Aukletpaw, Softpaw, and Otterpaw yowled his name, leaping up and down. Eggfur nodded, the white of her fur bright against the dark rock.

          “Jump,” Boulderfoot said.

          Eaglepaw’s legs moved of their own accord. He stumbled towards the end of the ledge, and then he was running, gasping as his heart skipped a beat, he crouched-

          And then he was sailing through open air, the salty wind whipping through his fur.

          The sea rushed up towards him, raging and rushing. In that moment, everything stretched out infinitely.

          He gasped one more time, and he hit the water.

          Bubbles tickled past his pelt as he pedaled furiously. Instinctively, he made for the surface even as the currents pulled him every which way. He stretched out his paws, letting the strong webbing between his digits force the water behind him.

          And then he was gulping for air as his head broke the surface.

          Whoops sounded from above. Looking up, he saw TideClan cheering, so far away that they were the size of pebbles. His chest hurt from the impact, but somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to care.

          A dark shape detached itself from the cliff, and Eaglepaw yelped as a black-and-white blur crashed into the water. Aukletpaw surfaced, laughing.

         “You people are all crazy,” he hissed.

         “We are. But I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she responded, letting the waves toss her around. Eaglepaw realized he was fighting to stay in one spot, which was of course impossible, and let the sea did what it wanted with him. He squeaked as a particularly large waved bowled him over.

         “You feel helpless in the ocean,” Aukletpaw told him when he came back up. “Don’t worry about it. Boulderfoot will teach you how to make it your strongest ally.”

         “This water is not anybody’s ally,” Eaglepaw spluttered. “This water is insane. How is it so angry all the time?”

         “Because it’s alive.”

          Aukletpaw rolled forward and disappeared into the darkness. Four other splashes signaled the arrival of the other apprentices. Relief washed through him when he saw Redpaw’s marbled head bob above the surface, her amber eyes wide. He swam over to her.

         “Are you okay?” he said, and spluttered when water got in his mouth. It was incredibly salty, like blood, but lacked the texture and the warmth.

         “Why did I agree to this,” Redpaw moaned. “I despise you.”

         Eaglepaw dunked her under the surface and paddled away as fast as he could. The other apprentices were making their way parallel to the coast, so he followed their lead and made sure his sister wasn’t sneaking up on him so she could bite his tail off.

         Soon he figured out a rhythm to the whole swimming thing- front legs for speed, back legs for steering and boost. He caught up to Aukletpaw, who was carrying a fish in her mouth.

        “How do you do that?” Eaglepaw asked in disbelief. “It’s like they swim right into your mouth.”

        “I’m fat and I love to eat,” Aukletpaw explained.

        “Me too! Can you teach me?”

        “Sure. But tomorrow, because I am very tired.”

         Eaglepaw thought that was fair. As the shoreline Aukletpaw was leading them to neared he remembered how hungry he was and sped up. His muscles screamed in protest, not at all used to such hard work, but he gritted his teeth and kept going.

         The moment his feet brushed solid ground he almost cried with relief. He all but dragged himself to shore, gasping for breath, and flopped down on to the sand. It felt so good and solid and real, nothing like the unpredictable ocean that drowned and threw him around without mercy.

         Something prodded his side. “Come on, up you go. It wasn’t that hard.”

        “I… didn’t… ask _you,_ Redpaw,” he wheezed, stumbling to his feet. His sister just rolled her eyes and followed Aukletpaw and Otterpaw, but he was pleased to see she was wobbling unsteadily with every step she took.

        Softpaw arrived last and just about fell on top of Eaglepaw. “Holy StarClan, my blasted leg! Help me up the trail.”

        The tabby let the golden tom lean against him as they hobbled up the cliff together. “So what happened to it? Your leg, I mean.”

        “I know what you mean,” Softpaw grunted. “I broke it when I was a kit. Fell off the damn cliff and on to those pointed rocks by where we make our jumps. Petrelswoop did all he could, but whatever broke stayed that way.”

        “Doesn’t that hurt all the time?”

        “Only when I strain it or when it’s cold. I can still be a warrior, though, and that’s all that matters,” Softpaw said in a very matter-of-fact tone.

        “If you two don’t bust a move you won’t!” Stone-eye’s voice boomed from above.

        “We’re coming!” Softpaw yowled. Then, softly, “You ancient shitstain.”

         Eaglepaw snorted.

        When they made it up to the cliff they were surrounded by cheering cats. Eaglepaw and Softpaw were all but bowled over by a massive flame-colored queen, who covered Softpaw with kisses. Eaglepaw assumed she was his mother, as she tossed him on to her back to parade him around.

        “That’s Fireflower,” Aukletpaw said as she flopped down next to him. “She’s the mother of Softpaw and Otterpaw.”

        “She looks like she could take on a dozen foxes and come out victorious,” Eaglepaw said, impressed. “How many queens are there?”

        “Three. Grassbug and Mousefoot are over there. Grassbug’s expecting kits, which is nice and all, but leafbare will be here in no time at all. Petrelswoop and Bluepaw are gonna have their paws full keeping them all alive,” Aukletpaw huffed.

         Just as she said that, Bluepaw’s skinny form slipped through the crowd to greet Grassbug. In his mouth were some leaves, which he handed to Grassbug. To Eaglepaw’s amazement, she actually ate them.

       “Did she really just eat some leaves?” he asked.

       “He’s a _medicine cat,_ you big dummy. They’re herbs, not leaves.”

       “Oh,” Eaglepaw said, feeling a bit silly.

        Bluepaw turned to see the dark tabby and flicked his tail in greeting. Eaglepaw eagerly trotted over, tail raised.

       “Aukletpaw had to explain to me why you were feeding that queen some leaves,” he told Bluepaw. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Stormstar you poison cats for fun.”

       “I’m a fox-hearted killer, Eaglepaw. All of TideClan is at my mercy,” Bluepaw bragged, punching his shoulder. “Grassbug, tell our new clanmate I’m dangerous.”

        Grassbug giggled. “Yes, Bluepaw, you are very dangerous.”

        Bluepaw made a face at him like, _See?_ “Make sure you go to sleep soon. You’re going to be really sore tomorrow.”

       “Sore tomorrow? I’m sore right now!”

       “Mm-hm.” Bluepaw twined his tail with Eaglepaw’s as they led the rest of the apprentices back into the cave. “Don’t worry, hot stuff. This is just the beginning.”


	6. Chapter 6

            And just the beginning it was.

            Eaglepaw got woken up the next day by Otterpaw landing on him, courtesy of Softpaw kicking him across the den. Aukletpaw threw them out after, yelling that she was on the verge of taking out Softpaw’s _other_ leg if they didn’t quit. Redpaw nudged him, earning her a good whack upside the head and an “I’m _up,_ you nag!”

            It was six hungry apprentices that stumbled out of their nests that morning. Softpaw’s limp was terrible from the strain it went through during yesterday’s swim. Redpaw was trying to boss Otterpaw and Dustypaw into getting a knot out of her tail. Aukletpaw had sand in between her toes and could not get it out no matter how vigorously she washed it. And Eaglepaw was just tired.

            “Such happy faces this morning!” Boulderfoot laughed when they stomped over to the cave entrance. “Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s back in the ocean with you lot.”

            “Can’t we eat first?” Eaglepaw begged as they were marched down the cliff.

            “You’ll be catching your breakfast,” Boulderfoot told him. “Redpaw, you’re with me this morning. Flameflash got her rear end handed to her by a coyote before the sun was even up.”

            “Yay,” she muttered. Eaglepaw made a face at her.

            As they reached the drop-off to the sea, a strange sort of determination filled the tabby. If Redpaw refused to treat him with respect whenever he decided he was fed up with her attitude, then he was just going to have to pry it out of her paws, one claw at a time.

            Boulderfoot nodded to him. “Alright, Eaglepaw. See that big rock sticking out of the sea over there? Swim over to that. I’ll be right behind you with Redpaw to teach you how to fish.”

            “Sure-“

            “Actually, Boulderfoot? Maybe I should go first, just so Eaglepaw-“ Redpaw began, but was knocked back by Eaglepaw as he took a flying leap into the water.

            If he wasn’t completely awake before, he definitely was when he resurfaced. Sucking in a deep breath, he swam for the outcropping of rock. The waves tossed him around without mercy, but unlike the previous day, Eaglepaw wasn’t so much scared as determined. He could do this.

            It took what seemed like moons, but eventually he reached the rock. Eaglepaw hauled himself out of the water and gasped for breath. His pelt was so waterlogged he felt like he would collapse under its weight. When he looked up at the cliff, Boulderfoot and Redpaw were still there.

            Eaglepaw grinned and shook himself off. The sun was already heating up the dark rock beneath him, so he flopped down on his back to enjoy the warmth while he waited for his sister and Boulderfoot.

            The tom arrived a lot sooner than Eaglepaw anticipated. He was hardly out of breath, much to the tabby’s awe. They both waited for Redpaw as she paddled over to them, gasping for air and spluttering out salt water whenever she accidentally swallowed some.

            “Apprentice! You’re supposed to swim through the ocean, not eat it!” Boulderfoot yowled. “You’ll vomit if you keep that up!”

            Redpaw groaned as she scrabbled out on to the rocks. “How long before our pelts get used to this? I’m soaked all the way through!”

            “Eat lots of sea critters and within a week you’ll be shedding water like a duck,” Boulderfoot promised. “And your paw pads will have to adjust, too. If they start to get dry go see Petrelswoop and Bluepaw for fish oil. Now come watch me.”

            Eaglepaw and Redpaw trotted over eagerly, only for the black tom to nudge them back. “Not so close, fuzz-for-brains, your shadows over the water will scare the fish off. Now, watch me carefully.”

            Boulderfoot crouched close to the edge, the sun casting his own shadow behind him. He stared into the dark water, one paw brushing the lapping waves and the other tucked against himself for balance.

            Then, he waited.

            And waited.

            Eaglepaw tried to be patient, he really did, but his stomach felt so empty he was pretty sure he could eat a whole marten. His stomach growled so loudly Redpaw jumped. She started to snicker, and he batted at her with an annoyed hiss.

            Boulderfoot flattened his ears, a clear warning to stop messing around. Eaglepaw scooted back over to him and sat down.

            Another long moment passed without incident, and then his mentor suddenly shifted forward, one paw raised. Redpaw wiggled in place.

            A quick flash of a white paw, a spray of water, and Boulderfoot triumphantly lifted a massive fish from the waves. Eaglepaw jumped up and down in excitement as he pinned the creature to the rock before finishing it off with a sharp bite to its head.

            “That was awesome!” Eaglepaw cheered.

            “The trick is to strike a little bit _past_ the fish, not right at it. Water bends light.” Boulderfoot explained. “Do you know the term for that?”

            “Refraction,” Redpaw piped up. Eaglepaw nodded.

            “Good! Now you try it.”

            Eaglepaw chose a spot and crouched like his mentor had, one paw touching the water, the other close to his chest. Beneath the waves large fish darted back and forth. Patiently, he waited for one to come up to the surface.

            “They’re so big! What if one bites me?” he asked nervously.

            Boulderfoot chuckled. “You won’t get bitten, but make sure you hold on when you catch one. They’re a lot stronger than they look.”

            Redpaw darted forward with a shout of excitement, fumbling at a fish stuck on a claw, but it slipped off and fell back into the sea. “Damn! Slippery little thing.”

            “Almost there. Make sure you get all of your claws in at once,” Boulderfoot advised. Eaglepaw wondered how he could be so patient all the time. If he were a mentor he was pretty sure he’d lug an apprentice over the cliff side on the first day of training.

            Eaglepaw’s ears flicked when a fin briefly broke the surface. He slapped the fish out of the water and snagged it in his jaws.

            “I god ith! I got id!” he yowled, stumbling, and then he fell in the ocean. He refused to let go of his prize, though, and he hauled himself back on to the rock, spluttering.

            “You got it!” Redpaw gasped.

            “Yeah I did!” Eaglepaw bit through the fish’s skull and killed it.

            Boulderfoot smiled. “Well done! Now you, Redpaw.”

            Eaglepaw looked to his mentor for permission, and he nodded. With the enthusiasm of a starving cat he tore into his fish. This time around the flavor was rich and warm, any unpleasant aftertaste washed out by the tastes of the sea itself.

            “So good,” he moaned. “Eggfur, you were right all along.”

            Redpaw caught her first fish soon after, her amber eyes glowing. She ate the whole thing with a gusto that was unlike her usual dignified attitude. Eaglepaw cracked up when she got the oils all over her face. She threw the skeleton at him.

            For the rest of the afternoon they migrated around the bay, fishing out at sea and hunting along the shore. Eaglepaw got the hang of it within the first few hours. Redpaw was a good fisher as well, but was even better on land. From time to time he saw other TideClan cats galloping along the coast or fishing. If this was clan life, he thought, it was a whole lot more interesting than passing through the same dens in his twoleg’s nest and stalking through the same parts in the yard.

            After they caught enough fish to form a small pile they carried it all up the cliff. Redpaw caught a gull that dared to try and steal one when their backs were turned. Boulderfoot had them bring it into the cave, where piles of freshly killed prey were arranged neatly, each pile consisting of either squirrels, rabbits, shrews and moles, chipmunks and mice, voles, and of course, fish.

            Eaglepaw felt a surge of delight when he spotted Bluepaw, chattering merrily away to Petrelswoop as they walked to the prey pile together. He raised his tail in greeting.

            “-And then I was like ‘No, Grassbug, I’m not coming to your kitten shower!’ But only in my head, I promise. Whenever she gets yelled at these days she starts crying and whining like a day-old mouse- Eaglepaw!” The medicine cat apprentice grinned. “You and Redpaw lay those fish out for me, Petrelswoop and I are gonna collect the oil.”

            “Sure!” Eaglepaw helped Redpaw lay them out. Bluepaw pulled a concave slab of rock and watched as Petrelswoop started skinning the fish. Once he had the scales and fins he let a pair of older warriors come eat the meat. He passed the scales to Bluepaw, who dropped it into his slab and started clawing it to shreds.

            “I’ll leave this overnight, and the oils will separate from the skin,” he explained. “Then I can scrape it out into this small log we use to keep it in.”

            Redpaw’s muzzle wrinkled. “It smells awful.”

            “I can hardly smell it anymore,” Bluepaw bragged. “Rub some on your paws every evening and you’ll never see a cracked toe pad in your life.”

            “And stink like a carcass all the time? Maybe you lot don’t mind smelling like brine all day and night but I sure like not clearing the forest every time I hunt,” Redpaw snarked back.

             The medicine cat apprentice gasped in mock-hurt and turned to Eaglepaw. “Eaglepaw, tell your sister she deserves nothing but the most horrible of indigestion.”

            “I hope you get constipated,” he relayed to the torbie. Redpaw gave him a look, but Eaglepaw was happy to see that she was clearly no longer cross with him.

            Boulderfoot prodded him. “Alright, you two. Battle training time.”

            Eaglepaw wanted to beg for mercy, or maybe just a nap, but he dragged himself to his feet and after his sister and mentor. He looked at Bluepaw for any chance of a rescue, but the lanky tom just wiggled his shoulders and winked.

            The black tom led them into the forest. Underneath a massive oak tree laid a clearing several log-lengths wide. Boulderfoot had them stretch before facing off with each of them.

            “Now, the cats you’ll most likely ever fight against are rogues, and hardly any of them are as large as we are,” he began. “As Maine Coons, your strength and endurance are your greatest assets. Eventually you will learn how to lure your enemy into water and even drown them, if necessary. But a warrior must be well-rounded if they ever hope to become a master of combat. Redpaw, strike me.”

            The torbie dropped into a crouch and stalked towards the tom. She barely got a hare-length from him before he shot forward and crushed her into the dirt.

            “Nope. Never put yourself into a situation where you can be pinned down.”

            Redpaw coughed, still face-down in dust.

            Eaglepaw straightened up when Boulderfoot beckoned him forward. He balanced himself all fours and leapt.

            Boulderfoot easily flung him away. “Good form. But any obvious attack can be deflected. Try again.”

            Eaglepaw and Redpaw glanced at each other, and then back at the tom. Redpaw galloped forward, one paw raised to slap. When the older cat shifted to block her blow, Eaglepaw sailed over her and landed on Boulderfoot’s face.

            The older warrior went down with pained grunt.

            “Yeah! We did it!” Eaglepaw yelled.

            “You’re gonna crush him with your gigantic ass!” his sister cried.

            Boulderfoot shoved him off, wheezing. “Excellent teamwork, you two. And way to use your weight to your advantage, Eaglepaw. Redpaw, well done with getting in my face and trying to slap me. Let’s see some punches.”

            The rest of the afternoon consisted of wrestling, boxing, and getting beaten up in so many different ways Eaglepaw was hurting in the tips of his ears and claws by the time Boulderfoot sent them back to camp.

            “I can’t feel my tail,” Redpaw groaned. “I think I like hunting better.”

            “For once we’re in agreement.” He shook himself, spraying dust. “Let’s swim in the tide pools after we eat. If we just lay around all night we’ll be too stiff to move in the morning.”

            “Good idea,” she meowed.

            “Believe it or not, I _can_ think for myself,” Eaglepaw said boldly.

            Redpaw ducked her head. “Yeah. You can. I just… You’re my younger brother. I’m supposed to look after you.”

            “I’m only a moment younger than you! And you haven’t done a whole lot to _actually_ look after me. All you’ve ever done is be overprotective and controlling. And that ends here.” He stomped his paw with an air of finality. “Save your bossiness for when you’re a warrior!”

            His sister’s body language was unreadable for a long moment, but then she sighed. “I guess you’re right.” Then she grinned, showing her sharp fangs. “I’ll just have to order you around when I lead TideClan one day!"

            Eaglepaw looked at her with interest. “Wait, you want to become clan leader?”

            She focused on something in the distance, amber eyes blazing. “I had a dream last night, Eaglepaw. I was up on Stormstar’s boulder with everybody cheering for me. I was the new leader of TideClan. And I had kits, and a mate, and lots of friends, and you were my deputy! Everything I ever wanted was there. It has to be a sign from StarClan themselves!”

            “StarClan? Are you sure it wasn’t just a good dream?” he asked curiously.

            “I know this sounds crazy, but I really do think this clan has something going on with their ghosts.” Redpaw looked at him imploringly. “Give it a shot, at least. You never know.”

            Bluepaw’s words came back to him. _There’s something more to everything._

            “Okay. I’m glad you know what you want. Although please don’t rush it. I really do like Stormstar. And Rainfeather, the deputy,” Eaglepaw added.

            Redpaw laughed. “I like them too. Last one to the pools is a moldy hairball!”

            He yelped, swore, and chased after his sister.

           


	7. Chapter 7

           The next three moons, Eaglepaw was both in a constant state of being sore and being hungry. As his kitten fat melted away and was replaced by muscle he felt like he couldn’t get enough to eat. Boulderfoot assured him that was perfectly normal, and that since he wouldn’t stop growing for many more moons it was important to eat regularly. He was still a plump cat, which earned him some playful ribbing from Redpaw, but the rest of the clan had nothing but praise for his round belly and large size. In TideClan, fat was fantastic.

            Both him and Redpaw adopted the thick, water-proof pelt all the sea-faring cats had. It was fun to watch forest critters scramble for shelter whenever a storm hit while he got to prance around as usual, the rain rolling right off his fur. And like the water shedding from his coat, his fear of the ocean slowly was replaced by awe and determination. There was no more anxiety when he was sent off to sea to fish.

            Speaking of…

            Using his tail to steer, Eaglepaw chased after a fish as long as his whole head. The ocean surrounded him, lit up by the sunlight streaming through it in golden beams. It was comfortable and the visibility was perfect. Ahead of him, the fish darted to the left, trying to throw him off. Unfortunately for it, that’s exactly what Eaglepaw wanted it to do. Rolling his body, he struck out as far as he could reach and snagged it in his claws. Bringing it to his mouth, he paddled to the surface before he could get too lightheaded.

            The sun was blinding when he surfaced. Not too far away, Aukletpaw and Dustypaw were swimming to shore, their mouths full of fish. He called a muffled greeting and swam alongside them.

            Aukletpaw groaned and set her catch down when they reached the beach. She stretched out luxuriously and then shook the water from her black fur. “They better send out a fresh hunting party after this. I’ve been at it since dawn and I’m pretty sure my legs are going to fall off.”

            “Me too,” Dustypaw said through her fish. “Grassbug’s eating enough for three warriors. She put a whole hare away yesterday evening!”

            “Her kits are gonna come any day now. She can eat all she wants,” Aukletpaw laughed. “When I have kits, I’ll eat a whole pile of fresh-kill just because I can!”

            “Don’t make the rest of us hunt day and night just because you couldn’t stop crouching against every tom that looks your way!” Dustypaw teased. Aukletpaw squawked in horror and smacked her.

            “Does that mean you’ve got your eye on anyone? Otterpaw, perhaps?” Eaglepaw edged, shoving against her. Dustypaw snickered and bounced around to her other side.

            The black-and-white she-cat groaned when she realized she was trapped. “Not yet, you blundering ninnies! Everybody in this clan is either too old for me or has the sex appeal of a walnut. I’ll wait until Stormstar brings in some new recruits.”

            “Whatever you say!” Dustypaw said cheerfully. Eaglepaw grinned and helped carry all of their catch up to the camp.

            Redpaw was sparring with Softpaw and Otterpaw when they dropped the fish off. Otterpaw was rounder than his brother and still short and stocky. Softpaw was long and lanky, and seemed to be growing taller but not any wider. As he grappled with Redpaw, he tried to use his height to his advantage, but the torbie just kicked his bad leg and leapt back as the golden tom went down.

           “Ow! You know that messes it up even more!” Softpaw yowled.

           “You should have guarded it better,” Redpaw said, looking smug. “Up you go. You’re gonna beat me if it’s the last thing you do!”

           With a determined growl, Softpaw lunged at her. Otterpaw bit at her tail, making her squeal and kick him in the face.

           A familiar scent hit his nose, and Eaglepaw bounced over to greet Stormstar as she strolled down the path towards them. As usual, the huge she-cat walked with confidence, but now the sharp gleam in her eyes made her stride more believable.

           “Stormstar! I swam from dawn until sun-high today, and so did Aukletpaw and Dustypaw. And I’m not even tired!”

           The black molly grinned and punched his shoulder. “Keep that up and soon you lot will be able to swim across the bay! If you can already, I mean. Your shoulders are huge.”

           Eaglepaw puffed his chest out with pride. “I stretch every morning.”

          “Ahhhhhhhhhh!” somebody cried behind him, and then he was squashed by Redpaw, Dustypaw and Softpaw.

          “Attack!” Aukletpaw screamed.

          “You turds! Clan leader, save me!” Eaglepaw shrieked. Stormstar shouted a battle cry and threw herself into the tussle. Softpaw locked his front paws around Stormstar’s neck, trying to find purchase, but the bigger warrior just shrugged him off. She batted Otterpaw away and ended up getting tackled by Redpaw. The two she-cats wrestled across the rock, mock-growling and biting.

          Eaglepaw sprang to his sister’s defense. He landed solidly on Stormstar’s back and teethed her ear. She bucked him off and boxed with Otterpaw. Then she got buried by the other five apprentices.

          They rolled over and over, shrieking with laughter, until the sound of somebody clearing their throat made them all stop.

Eaglepaw looked up into Stone-eye’s cloudy eyeball, the one he was going blind in, and squeaked. The older warrior glowered down at him.

          “Hello, Stone-eye! Lovely day,” Stormstar said cheerfully from underneath Otterpaw’s butt. “Is Gullcry back with his patrol?”

          “Ah… Yes. May I ask what you are doing?”

          “Sparring with the apprentices, of course! Care to join in?”

          Stone-eye looked skeptical as he looked down at Dustypaw, who was chewing on Softpaw’s tail, and Redpaw and Aukletpaw, who had accidentally knocked their heads together a little too hard and were yelling at each other. “No thanks. It might be to your benefit to not to let the other warriors see you acting so… childish.”

         With that, the old warrior strode off.

         Stormstar glared after him. “That old dungheap’s ego is so fragile. No offense, Dustypaw.”

         “None taken,” the little gray molly sighed. “He’s a great mentor, but sometimes I wish he was a little more open to other cats. He never even visited his kits when they were little… or at least that’s what I heard. I wasn’t born yet.”

         Eaglepaw wondered what had turned Stone-eye so cold. “Does he still not like you because you got to be leader at such a young age?”

         “Him, Petrelswoop, Acornfall, Falconflight, Mousefoot… it goes on and on.” Stormstar’s head fell back, and she sighed. “I’ve done my best to be what they want, but no matter what…”

         “Hm…” Redpaw tapped a claw to her cheek. “I overheard Flameflash the other day talking about some rogues that her patrol got in a squabble with. It wasn’t anything serious, but since this has been going on for quite some time maybe you could bring up the idea of an attack with the other warriors.”

         “An attack? A good idea in theory, but no cat’s been seriously injured.”

         “Yet,” added Redpaw. “And besides, everybody’s been raring to go ever since Acornfall got his butt kicked half a moon ago.”

           Stormstar looked like she was considering it. “I’ll talk to Rainfeather about this. And go get some fish oil for your toe pad, Eaglepaw, you’re bleeding all over me!”

         “Sorry!” He scrambled off the kitty pile that had accumulated in front of the cave entrance and headed to the medicine den.

         By the time the tabby tom poked his head inside he could feel the sting from his cracked paw pad. As usual, Petrelswoop and Bluepaw were arranging herbs and talking in tense, low tones.

         Bluepaw saw Eaglepaw first, and his eyes lit up. “Eaglepaw! How’s it going?”

         Eaglepaw shuffled in place, suddenly feeling a little shy. “Good. Um, I have a cracked pad. You wouldn’t happen to have any more fish oil?”

         “Mm-hm, ‘course we do. Let me see it.”

         Eaglepaw let the lanky Siamese tom examine the split pad. He tried to not squirm a little when soft paws held his own.

         “Yeah, we should get that fixed before it gets infected. Let me just-“ Bluepaw turned to a niche in the wall, paused, and then looked back at Petrelswoop. “We ran out, didn’t we.”

         Petrelswoop nodded, looking like he was trying not to laugh.

         Bluepaw let his head fall forward with a groan. _“Great._ Sorry, Eaglepaw.”

         “I’ll catch a fish for you!” he offered. “I have evening patrol later but that’s it.”

         The medicine cat gasped. “Eaglepaw, you are my favorite cat in this clan.”

         “Wait, I thought I was your favorite cat! I’m your mentor!” Petrelswoop chuckled as he ruffled his apprentice’s ears.

         Bluepaw stuck his tongue out at him and pranced out of the den after the tabby. “That was before you used all our fish oil, you greedy old fleabag!”

<> 

          Eaglepaw led the way down the cliff. Despite the fact his companion wasn’t a fisher, Bluepaw fearlessly bounded after him, unfazed by the churning sea below.

          “You know, if you ever want to learn how to swim, I could teach you,” Eaglepaw offered, glancing back at the other tom.

          Bluepaw giggled. “I can swim, just not very well.” He held up one paw and spread his toes out. They were thin and long, like the rest of him. “See? No webbing. And my pelt is way thinner than the rest of the clan’s.

         “What are you gonna do when winter comes?” Eaglepaw asked, a little concerned. “It’s getting colder at night already.”

         “Goodness, catch a tom a fish before you go asking for all his secrets.” Bluepaw winked mischievously and flopped down on his back.

         Eaglepaw’s ears felt a little hot. “Uh, okay. Be right back.”

         He dropped from the ledge and into the sea. The fish must have been enjoying the later summer warmth as well, because he managed to surprise one and kill it the moment he dove deeper. He secured it in his jaws and swam for shore.

         Still sore from an entire morning of fishing, he all but wobbled across TideClan’s part of the cliff. When he reached Bluepaw he all but face-planted into the ledge.

         The medicine cat giggled. “Sore, are we?”

         “Fished all morning. No breaks. Just fish.” Eaglepaw peeled his muzzle from the rock.

         Bluepaw took the fresh-kill from the other apprentice and went to work, collecting the skin. “The process of separating the oil can’t be rushed, but there’s always a little on the scales. Hold out your paw.”

         Eaglepaw let him spread the oil over the cracked pad. “So how are you going to survive the winter?”

         The little tom scoffed. “I’m not as fragile as I look, Eaglepaw. And it’ll be tough, but TideClan didn’t raise me to be a quitter.”

         “I’ll just carry you everywhere. You can use me for another coat,” Eaglepaw teased.

         “Nooo!”

         “The elders will ask me if I managed to put on even more weight. I’ll just say ‘Nope! It’s just Bluepaw!’”

         Bluepaw pointed a claw at him. “You, my dear Eaglepaw, are on thin ice.”

         Eaglepaw snickered.

         The medicine cat’s mood seemed to sour. “I worry about it too. Out of my six littermates, I was the runt. Nobody expected me to make it to my first moon.”

         That surprised Eaglepaw. Bluepaw was lean, but he wasn’t exactly petite. “So how did you find your way to TideClan?”

         “I have my mother to thank for that.” Bluepaw said _mother_ like one would say _maggot-infested dung pile._ “When nobody was watching, she took me outside and left me in the garden. I guess she wanted me out of her fur so she could focus on my brothers and sisters.”

         “Revolting,” Eaglepaw scoffed.

         “Yep. Anyways, the next day I started messing around with the stuff my old twoleg was growing in her garden, and in a little while I figured out which plants staved off hunger or soothed a cut on my paw. And then Stormstar found me.”

          Bluepaw had betrayed no hint of grief over his mother abandoning him, but when he mentioned the clan leader he seemed to perk up again. “Every so often she’ll travel to this twoleg colony to look for recruits. It’s about a day’s journey from here. When she discovered me in the garden, I helped disinfect some cuts she had from a scuffle with rogues. She offered me a place in TideClan as a medicine cat apprentice when I was older, so I went with them.”

          The tabby imagined him stumbling through the early newleaf growth after Stormstar, half-starved and no bigger than a chipmunk. He felt a prick of fury at Bluepaw’s mother, whoever and wherever she may be. No queen who deserved even a shred of respect would even think about abandoning her kits, much less a queen who was cared for by twolegs.

          “Your mother didn’t deserve a son like you,” Eaglepaw promised.

          Bluepaw’s whiskers twitched with embarrassment, and he flopped against the bigger tom. “I-If you say so!”

          Eaglepaw enjoyed his warmth, and was unable to stop himself from purring.

<> 

          When the sun began to dip below the trees, Boulderfoot’s yowl to begin the evening patrol sounded out across the camp. Eaglepaw trotted eagerly over to him. The brothers Falconflight and Acornfall were already with the older warrior. They nodded at Eaglepaw and went back to talking quietly amongst themselves.

          With a skid of pebbles, Redpaw and Aukletpaw came to a stop before him. “Where were you all day?” Redpaw complained. “Aukletpaw and Otterpaw climbed this really tall tree, and then Aukletpaw almost fell to her death-“

          “Did not!”

          “Did too! And then Softpaw caught a rabbit. Then there was this raccoon, and I beat it up without evening trying!”

          “I was helping Bluepaw with, uh, medicine cat stuff,” Eaglepaw offered.

          “Medicine cat stuff?” Redpaw wrinkled her nose. “Fun.”

          But Boulderfoot nodded appreciatively at him. “Thank you for setting aside your time to help Bluepaw instead of going off with your friends. That was very mature of you.”

          “It’s nothing,” he promised his mentor, a little flustered.

          They set off at a swift pace. The evening air was cool and gentle, much more comfortable than the hot summer sun. The leaves on the trees were already beginning to turn all shades of red and gold. Winter wouldn’t be far away.

          Acornfall hissed when the faint howling and yipping of coyotes started up in the distance. “Damn mangy mutts. Can’t shut up for one night.”

          “Most important thing about coyotes?” Boulderfoot shot over his shoulder.

          “If they’re calling it means no larger predators are around,” Eaglepaw recited.

          “Good!”

          Redpaw shoved him. “Now who’s the attention whore?”

          “What, can I not answer questions?” He shoved her back, sniggering.           

“Keep up, you two!” Falconflight called from ahead.

            The two of them raced through the darkening forest, almost running over Aukletpaw, who whacked them both upside the head.

            Vast veils of stars shone down on them by the time they were halfway around TideClan territory. Eaglepaw kept his ears pricked for the coyotes or foxes, but so far they hadn’t given them any real cause for alarm. The only scents that roused concern from the patrol was the distinct scent of a skunk with the foaming sickness. Boulderfoot explained that they’d go looking for it tomorrow and hopefully put it out of its misery.

            Trouble struck just as they were circling back to camp.

            Acornfall sniffed at the air and suddenly spat. _“Hsst!_ Rogues!”

            Boulderfoot growled angrily. “All of you, up a tree. Wait for my signal.”

            All three apprentices obeyed and scrambled up the nearby hemlocks. Aukletpaw and Redpaw climbed the same one together. When Eaglepaw was a considerably distance off the ground he settled down on a thick branch and listened closely. In the tree adjacent to him Aukletpaw whispered something, but Redpaw shushed her.

            The smell of unfamiliar cats hit Eaglepaw’s nose. Daring to peek over the side of the branch, his breath caught when he saw five other cats stalking through the growth towards Boulderfoot, Acornfall, and Falconflight.

            The big gray tabby in front seemed to be in charge. With a flick of his tail, he signaled the rest of his group to halt.

            “Boulderfoot.” The gray tabby nodded to him. “I trust you and Stormstar have discussed my offer?”

            “That was not my decision to make. But I will tell you that Stormstar and Rainfeather have made the choice to not hand over TideClan territory to you, and that is final. Generations of our warriors have been born and have died here, or have given up their old lives to join our ranks. We will not give that legacy up for the greed of any cat.” Boulderfoot’s green eyes flashed warningly.

            “Sentimental to the end,” the gray tabby sighed.

            Falconflight spoke up. “For the umpteenth time, Thicket, the forest is more than big enough for both our clans. The territory to the south is just as nice as it is up here. Your ceaseless bitching about wanting to control the whole coast is so dumb, we tell our kits about it when they want a good story.”

            Acornfall cackled at his brother’s jibes and punched his shoulder. “Remember when we told Rainfeather about it? She laughed so hard she farted in front of the whole clan!”

            Even Boulderfoot looked like he was repressing a snort.

            Thicket growled deep in his throat. “You dare make a fool out of me?”

            “Good tom! We would do nothing of the sort, especially when you do such a good job of it all by yourself.” Boulderfoot said coolly. “Apprentices, show these scoundrels what TideClan thinks of obnoxious intruders like these.”

            Eaglepaw slipped from his branch and landed right on top of Thicket. The older tom wheezed in pain as he was crushed beneath Eaglepaw’s greater mass. He heard yowls of anger, and then Redpaw’s battle cry piercing the air.

            He dug his claws into Thicket’s sides and chomped down on a shoulder, making him scream. Somehow, he rolled them over until they were both on the ground, and clawed at Eaglepaw’s face. Instinctively, he let go, and Thicket turned on him with thorn-sharp claws.

            Leaping back, he swatted the tom into a tree and turned to help the other warriors. Boulderfoot was locked in combat with a massive calico, and Acornfall and Falconflight were wearing down a tabby tom with white paws and two black she-cats. Redpaw and Aukletpaw were fighting a silver tom with hateful golden eyes.

            He flung himself into battle and bowled over one of the black she-cats. She shrieked in anger and sliced his cheek, claws unsheathed, but he got a good grip on her shoulder with his teeth and bit down with everything he had. The taste of hot blood filled his mouth.

            _“RrraaaAAAAOOORR!”_ she screamed, and limped off as fast as she could, still howling with pain. Eaglepaw raced beside her and bit her leg for good measure. The tabby tom Acornflight was boxing with got his ears shredded by Redpaw and fled as well. Boulderfoot kicked the calico he was battling into a thorn bush. He laughed when she sprang into the air with a pained squeal and took off running. Eaglepaw chased her for a bit and nipped at her tail.

            Just as he was about to yell something smart after her sharp teeth fastened into his scruff. He yelped and tripped.

            Thicket’s rough voice was suddenly in his ear. “You just made a big mistake, boy. That black she-cat you just mauled is the mother of my kits.”

            Eaglepaw shrieked in pain and terror as insanely sharp claws dug into his throat. Before Thicket could reach his jugular and end his life the weight vanished from on top of him.

            He rolled to his feet, gasping, and saw Boulderfoot claw the gray tabby across the face. Thicket screeched and finally sprinted away.

            Together, the TideClan patrol chased him over their border, yowling threats. Blood roared in Eaglepaw’s ears as he tossed insults after Thicket.

            “-your sire mates with dogs!” Acornfall finished. Blood seeped from a wound in his shoulder, but he seemed satisfied. Falconflight stretched out a hind leg and groaned.

            “Eaglepaw!” His sister scrambled over to him and looked him over, frantically nosing his neck. “Holy StarClan, are you alright? Where are you hurt?”

            “Redpaw, I’m fine, really,” he insisted. “Okay, maybe my throat isn’t fine, but the rest of me is.”

            Boulderfoot gave himself a good shake. “Alright, warriors and apprentices. Excellent job! Now let’s get back to camp, lest we all die from blood loss.”

            “That won’t happen, right?” Eaglepaw said hopefully as he trotted after his mentor. “Boulderfoot? Boulderfoot!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably should have said hi earlier, but life kicked my ass so here we are now. Enjoy my garbage!


	8. Chapter 8

           The next day Bluepaw insisted on bringing Eaglepaw to the tide pools.

            Eaglepaw protested at first, insisting Boulderfoot would be angry at him for skipping training, but the medicine cat apprentice would have none of it.

            “First of all, I have first say as to when apprentices train. I’m a med cat. If your throat almost gets slit then it’s Field Trip Day with Bluepaw,” he ordered. “Besides, Boulderfoot runs you into the ground every single day. I’m surprised you haven’t passed out from exertion yet.”

            “He’s not _that_ rough,” Eaglepaw defended.

            “Mm-hm. Now get your chubby ass in the water.”

            Eaglepaw did as he was told. The pools were warm from the sun, even if the late morning breeze was a bit chilly. Every single one of them was crystal clear and teeming with all sorts of aquatic life, from starfish to little crabs (a _crab_ was what had viciously attacked him on his first patrol), and even some fish. They were one of Eaglepaw’s favorite places on the coast.

            The salt water stung the claw marks. He shifted uncomfortably, wondering how something that hurt could help a wound to heal faster. Looking up at Bluepaw, he wondered why the apprentice seemed to be doing so much more than Petrelswoop.

            “Hey, Bluepaw? Why does Petrelswoop stay in camp so much?”

            “He’s ancient. His back legs have the stiffening disease. Swimming helps, but only a little, and quite frankly he strains himself enough as it is.” Bluepaw looked unhappy.

            “Do you know how old he is?” Eaglepaw asked.

            “He was a senior member of TideClan before Nightstar was even born, if that helps,” Bluepaw said wryly.

            “Oh.” The tabby was impressed. “So you’re already beginning to take over.”

            Immediately he knew he had said the wrong thing. Bluepaw leapt to his feet, eyes blazing with anger. “What’s that supposed to mean? Petrelswoop isn’t dying, you idiot, he’s just getting old!”

            “You just said he was ancient!” Eaglepaw protested, taken aback. “I’m just stating the truth. Sooner or later you have to be ready to be the only medicine cat, right?”

            A dangerous growl rumbled in the Siamese tom’s chest. Eaglepaw hauled himself out of the water and shook the water from his fur. Bluepaw’s lips curled as some of it got on him.

            “What’s your deal?” Eaglepaw demanded. “I thought you were a tough clan cat. Don’t you want to prepare for your future?”

            “I _am_ tough! And I don’t need to prepare for _anything_ just yet, because Petrelswoop isn’t even close to joining StarClan!” Bluepaw hissed, hackles spiking.

            “Okay, Bluepaw. You are up here.” Eaglepaw raised a paw above his head. “You need to bring it all the way down here.” He lowered the paw into the tide pool with a splash.

            The Siamese flung himself at Eaglepaw and battered him furiously with unsheathed claws. The tabby blinked down at him, wondering if he should just hug him until he calmed down or let him tire himself out.

            Fortunately, Bluepaw seemed to figure out that his assault wasn’t doing a whole lot, and flopped against Eaglepaw to catch his breath.

            “Are you done now?” Eaglepaw asked.

            Bluepaw growled. “Kiss my furry-“

            A loud yowl sounded, making both toms turn in surprise.

            Galloping towards them was Redpaw. Her amber eyes were blown wide, and she was visibly out of breath. “Bluepaw, for the love of every dead clan leader! Grassbug’s _kitting!_ You need to _go! Now!”_

            “Oh, shi-“ Bluepaw began, but he was already sprinting for the cliff, the two siblings hard on his heels. He was insanely fast, long, lean body perfect for running. Halfway up the rocky path Eaglepaw could barely keep up.

 _Hang on, Grassbug!_ he thought desperately.

            When they came galloping into camp every cat in Bluepaw’s way just about threw themselves out of his path. Still following him, Eaglepaw trailed the medicine cat apprentice into the cave, wondering if there was anything he should be doing to help.

            Dread filled his body a second after he scented blood. A panicked cry filled the air as Bluepaw came flying out of the den.

            “Eaglepaw, help me!” he shrieked. “The birth’s going all wrong!”

            Heart pounding in his chest, the tabby sprinted to the medicine den with him. Bluepaw muttered frantically to himself as he pulled various herbs off the shelves. “Lavender? Yes? Alright. Black Cohosh for the pain. Abscess root for fever, hepatica to give her strength; Eaglepaw, carry these for me!”

            Eaglepaw did as he was told and ran after the frantic tom. _StarClan, if you’re really there, look after Grassbug. You can’t let her die._

            When he all but dove into the nursery he almost fainted.

            Blood was spreading out in a steady pool around the silver queen. Grassbug’s amber eyes stared at the side of the hollow, dazed, a silent scream at her open jaws. Petrelswoop was beside her with Bluepaw, encouraging her to eat the herbs. She swallowed them, much to Eaglepaw’s relief, but she wasn’t even strong enough to lift her head from the ground.

            “Here comes the first one!” Petrelswoop said. “Remember, nip at the sack surrounding it so it can breathe. Ready?”

            “Yes,” Bluepaw all but choked. Grassbug spasmed, and Eaglepaw watched as a little slimy thing emerged from her. It slid out on to the moss. Bluepaw nipped the watery skin around it and licked it, and Eaglepaw watched as the kit took its first breath.

            The cycle of pushing, Grassbug’s low moans of agony, and the stench of blood went on, bringing forth another kit. It was alive and joined its sibling against their mother’s belly.

            “Can’t…” Grassbug croaked.

            “You can!” Petrelswoop insisted, paws working her flank to help the next kit come. “Just as your great-grandmother gave birth to your dam, and your dam gave birth to you, you will birth these kits.”

            Bluepaw set the lavender by her head. “Deep breaths. Keep pushing!”

            Eaglepaw crouched by the entrance, horrified at what he was seeing. This was how he had come into this world?

            “Go get more hepatica. It has violet petals,” Bluepaw ordered, not taking his eyes off the silver queen. Eaglepaw obeyed. He was aware of Redpaw at the entrance to the cave, asking him if Grassbug was okay.

           When he came back Grassbug seemed to be unconscious. Eaglepaw almost cried out, but then her eyes opened, strangely calm. She sucked in a deep breath and tensed up, and at last the third kit came. It squealed with shock at Bluepaw’s tongue as he licked it to warm it up.

           The queen’s amber eyes locked with his. “They live?”

           “Yes,” Eaglepaw told her, crawling closer to her and pressing his head against hers. He hadn’t been particularly close with Grassbug, but knowing she was dying caused him more pain than he thought possible. “Please just keep breathing. You want to meet them, right?”

           “Of course, I…” Grassbug seemed to lose focus before returning to reality. “But it seems StarClan wishes for me to go to them. Don’t despair, Eaglepaw.”

           Eaglepaw shook his head in disbelief.

           Bluepaw was suddenly beside him, ears flattened against his sleek head. “Grassbug-“

           “Save your herbs, child,” she murmured.

           His deep blue eyes held the sadness of the whole world. Petrelswoop laid down next to Grassbug, jaw clenched, and his eyes shut.

           There were no more words after that.

           As the kits slowly gained strength from the milk of their dying mother, Grassbug lost hers. Time stretched out and condensed. When Bluepaw finally crumpled down next to her, amber eyes slid shut for the final time. Eaglepaw nosed her, trying to transfer some of his life energy to her, but it didn’t work.

           Grassbug exhaled once more and was still.

           A low cry came from Petrelswoop. He rested his head on her flank, his face the picture of resignation. Bluepaw shook where he was crouched, and Eaglepaw realized Grassbug must have been the first cat he couldn’t save.

           He pressed tightly against the smaller tom and mourned.

           It was a long time before Petrelswoop spoke up. “Eaglepaw, if you would tell Stormstar the news.”

           The tabby tom nodded and stumbled to his feet. He pressed his nose to Bluepaw’s cheek, feeling like the cliff was pressing down on his shoulder, and left the nursery.

           Redpaw was still waiting for him. She saw the look on his face and understood immediately. His sister said nothing, pressing against him as they walked up the path to Stormstar’s den.

           The leader’s den was a cave, obstructed by hanging moss. Eaglepaw knew it connected with the main cave below by a short tunnel, as Stormstar hardly used it unless she had somebody with her. She claimed it was too empty by herself.

           “Stormstar?” he called. “You there?”

           “In fact, I am! Come in.”

           He and Redpaw slipped in. Stormstar was with Rainfeather, looking like they were in the mist of recalling a very good story.

           The clan leader waved her tail in welcome. “Good afternoon to you too! What brings you to my den?”

           “Bad news, I’m afraid,” Redpaw said quietly. “Grassbug has gone on to join StarClan.”

           Stormstar’s golden eyes widened with shock. She swallowed, looking over to Rainfeather, who murmured something too quiet for Eaglepaw to pick up. The huge black she-cat swallowed hard.

           She looked up to Eaglepaw. “And the kits?”

           “All three survived. Mousefoot will nurse them, right?” Eaglepaw asked.

           “Yes… I… yes.” Stormstar rose to her feet. “Rainfeather, will you do that? I feel like she would say yes to you more than to me.”

           Rainfeather dipped her broad head and left. Eaglepaw let her pass, too weary to give the deputy even a nod of respect. He followed her and Redpaw back down the trail, Stormstar padding tiredly beside him.

           News of Grassbug’s death must have spread already by the time they slipped into the cave. Aukletpaw and Softpaw were crying quietly beside Dustypaw, who was staring in shock at the nursery. Rainflower padded over to touch the apprentice’s nose. Fireflower, Softpaw’s and Otterpaw’s mother, had her tail over Otterpaw and was talking quietly with a few of the elders.

           Falconflight looked the worst. He was standing guard at the nursery, eyes shut in grief. Eaglepaw realized he must have been the father of Grassbug’s kittens.

           He also didn’t miss his hackles spiking up when Stormstar passed him, beckoning the queen Mousefoot to follow.

           It was a while before the clan leader emerged from the nursery. “Today Grassbug leaves us for a better world,” she began quietly. “Mousefoot has generously agreed to nurse her kits, all of which survived. She was a brave warrior, and an even braver mother. May StarClan look favorably upon her children so that they will grow to be as strong and good as she was.”

 _If StarClan is so great, why did they take Grassbug away from her kits and Falconflight?_ Eaglepaw thought angrily.

          TideClan murmured in agreement. Falconflight still didn’t speak, even when his brother Acornfall gently bumped him.

          The rest of the evening was spent mourning. The warriors carried her body to the forest to be buried with the help of the elders. Eaglepaw and the rest of the apprentices went back to their den to sleep, this time disregarding nests and instead piling together against the wall.

          Sleep came slowly to Eaglepaw, but when it did, it also brought Nightstar.

<> 

            He was back on the same beach he had been on when he had met the former clan leader, but this time Nightstar was waiting for him. The massive tom was stretched out on the cool sand, front paws crossed over each other and eyes closed. When Eaglepaw approached him he seemed to snap out of his trance.

            “Well done, apprentice. Three moons into your apprenticeship and you’ve already become a service to your clan.” Nightstar rose and stretched. “And thank you for supporting my daughter as I asked.”

            “Stormstar’s great. It’s an honor to serve her,” Eaglepaw told him. He wondered why he hadn’t realized the black she-cat was Nightstar’s daughter earlier- she was a perfect copy of him save her golden eyes and laid-back attitude.

            His comment seemed to please Nightstar even more. He strode past Eaglepaw, beckoning for the tabby to follow him. Eaglepaw trotted after him.

            “Life for a TideClan cat is rough. You know this already, but it still came as a shock when Grassbug died. Understand that you will see cats die many times during your service to the clan. Some of them might perish at your own claws,” Nightstar told him.

            Eaglepaw wondered if this was his way of comforting people. “I-I don’t want to kill anybody! And how do you know Grassbug died?”

            Nightstar roared with laughter, making Eaglepaw hiss with anger. “Foolish boy! You think TideClan primitive for believing in StarClan, yet are completely blind when a spirit comes to speak to you in person!”

            Eaglepaw cowered in terror, eyes wide. “You’re a StarClan warrior?”

            “And bears shit in the woods! We are _real,_ Eaglepaw. We do not interfere directly with your lives, only watch and guide when need be.”

            “Then why did Grassbug have to die?”

            “Why are you such a whiny bastard? Cats die. Grassbug gave it her all to give birth to those kits, as every queen does. Don’t besmirch her memory by moping about. Honor her courage and strength, and learn from it,” Nightstar snapped.

            “How?” Eaglepaw asked feebly.

            Nightstar ignored his question. “Listen to me. A great threat looms above TideClan. Use your gift, and you can save us all.”

            “I-I don’t have any gifts!” he stammered.

            “Did you not speak with that pine marten?” Nightstar demanded. “What, do you think every cat can just waltz up to another animal and start gossiping?”

            Eaglepaw stared at him in shock, but before he could say anything he was lurching awake, gasping like he had swam all the way down the coast.

            Thankfully, he hadn’t woken anybody else up. He picked his way out of the furry pile of apprentices and snuck out of the cave.

            When he hiked down to the beach somebody was already there, silhouetted silver in the moonlight. Bluepaw’s slender form was hunched over something, his large ears pricked forward like he was tracking prey. He was so still he didn’t even appear to be breathing.

            Eaglepaw padded over to him. The medicine cat apprentice didn’t seem surprised by his sudden appearance. He gestured to something laying at his feet- a bloody feather ensnared in thorny weed.

            “It washed right up into my paws. Another omen from StarClan.” Bluepaw sounded like he’d rather literally deal with anything else than his medicine cat duties.

            Eaglepaw sniffed it. “What does it mean?”

            “Who knows?” Bluepaw huffed. He swatted the feather and briar aside. “Another TideClan death, most likely.”

            “You’re not actually blaming yourself for Grassbug’s death, right?” Eaglepaw asked, more than a little concerned.

            “How could I not? I was busy being in denial by the tide pools.” Bluepaw spat at the ground. “I’m a medicine cat, and yet an apprentice who grew up a housecat understands death better than I do.”

            Eaglepaw remembered his dream about Nightstar. “We can’t waste the next moon crying about it. I think Grassbug would want us to honor her by being strong, like she was when she gave birth to her kits.”

            “I suppose,” Bluepaw muttered. He still didn’t seem comforted. Eaglepaw moved closer to him and rested his head on top of the smaller tom’s. Bluepaw leaned against him, eyes fixed on the horizon.

            “Do you ever dream about StarClan?” Eaglepaw blurted out.

            “Sometimes. They told Petrelswoop about a prophecy that I think might be about you and your sister,” Bluepaw said offhandedly. “Why?”

            “Wait, a prophecy about-?”

            “Nope. Medicine cat business. Answer my question.”

            Eaglepaw snorted. “You must be feeling better if that attitude of yours is back. But I was hoping you’d understand why old Nightstar visits my dreams so much.”

            Deep blue eyes widened into circles. _“What?!_ What on Earth- what does he want from you? He’s been dead since last Greenleaf!”

            “I don’t know. He ordered me to befriend Stormstar, and that she was his legacy and the most important thing to him,” Eaglepaw explained.

            Bluepaw snorted. “She’s not exactly a helpless kit.”

            “I know that! But Nightstar seems convinced that trouble will come to TideClan because so many cats want her out of power.”

            The slender tom’s eyes narrowed angrily. “Well, I never knew Nightstar, but I knew he was one of the mightiest leaders of TideClan. If he’s worried about something I think it might be best for us to listen to him.”

             Eaglepaw nodded. “Good thinking. Also, he scares me.”

             “Yeah, I think I see where you’re coming from.”

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

         As Nightstar had ordered him to do, Eaglepaw focused on his training and talking with Stormstar whenever he had the chance. Boulderfoot pushed him harder and harder every single day, making him swim farther and faster than he thought possible. His fellow apprentices were pushed just as hard. When Redpaw had stopped to catch her breath during a hunt Flameflash just about took off the tip of her tail.

         Two moons after Grassbug died clan life had returned to normal. Falconflight still sulked, only really listening to Acornfall, but he was speaking again and that was all that mattered. It seemed to be getting colder every day, and TideClan would need the strength of every able cat to see through the winter, which would no doubt be brutal.

         Foggywave, the blind elder, scowled when he and Blossompelt emerged from the cave to take a walk by the shore. “By StarClan, don’t let that be snow I’m smelling!”

         “How can you tell?” Eaglepaw asked, curious.

         “You’d be surprised at how well your other senses develop when you lose your eyes. Take a deep whiff. What stands out to you?” Foggywave’s ears twitched expectantly.

         He inhaled deeply, tasting the air on his tongue. He was so used to the salty sea air by now he had no trouble shoving it aside, and instead sorted through the scents the chilly wind brought. A slight edge to it stood out to him, just a little- the scent of something that hinted of salt, but not quite.

         “Kind of salty, but not really?” he asked.

         “That’s it. If you pay close enough attention you might be able to differentiate between different kinds of storms,” Foggywave rasped. “Now quit standing around like a dud and go catch Blossompelt here something to eat.”

         “I can still hunt, you walnut!” Blossompelt hissed, smacking him as they hobbled down the trail together. Eaglepaw snorted at the antics of the elders before trotting off to the forest.

         He soon picked up on the dusty-sweet scent of a pheasant and dropped into a crouch. Pheasants never flew far or fast, but on the ground they could be vicious with their spurs. Boulderfoot himself had a scar by his right eye from stalking a particularly crabby one.

         Leaves rustled softly in a nearby bush, and Eaglepaw crept closer before springing. The pheasant screeched in rage at the unexpected attack and battered the tabby with her strong wings, making him wince. Diggings his claws in, he leapt into the air with the bird before using his size to force her to the ground. A swift bite to the neck made the struggling cease. Panting slightly, Eaglepaw picked the pheasant up and made his way to the shore.

        The other elders were stretched out in the sun by the time Eaglepaw found them, napping or gossiping. Foggywave’s ears swiveled towards him as he approached.

        “Thank you, Eaglepaw. I can’t get this hag to eat anymore,” Foggywave complained, flicking his tail at Blossompelt. The tortoiseshell growled good-naturedly at her mate and pointedly took a bite out of the pheasant. Another elder nearby sniffed at it, and Blossompelt shifted to let him eat as well.

        Eaglepaw hadn’t gotten the chance to talk to this particular elder before. He was a dark tabby tom with curiously vacant green eyes.

        “Sorry, I never got your name,” Eaglepaw told him. The elder didn’t seem to notice the other tabby.

        Foggywave hacked in amusement. “You never met Thistlefeather before, have you. He’s deaf as a log, so save your words.”

        “Oh.” Eaglepaw felt a little silly.

        The white tom’s left ear twitched. “I can sense your pity.”

        Eaglepaw blinked. “Well, of course. He can’t hear.”

        “Nobody with a disability wants your pity, boy, they want your respect. Thistlefeather may be deaf and slow in the head but he can track the path an ant makes through the whole forest.” Foggywave gave his friend a good couple of whacks on the back when he started choking on a bone.

        Thistlefeather coughed it up, stared at it, and then ate it again.

        Foggywave sighed. “You get the idea.”

        Eaglepaw nodded quickly.

        “I heard you fought well against those rogues. Not every apprentice does so well in their first battle,” Jumpingbird piped up. He was one of the palest tabbies Eaglepaw had ever seen, with startling blue eyes and shredded ears.

        Eaglepaw dipped his head. “Thanks, Jumpingbird. It was kinda scary.”

        “I bet it was,” the elder said kindly. He started to say something, but then his smile dropped. Eaglepaw turned to see Stormstar striding towards them.

        “Morning, everybody! Blossompelt, Jumpingbird, I ran an idea by Rainfeather earlier concerning the rogues. What do you think of an attack?”

        “Do we even know where they are right now?” Jumpingbird grumbled.

        “I have friends in the twoleg colony who keep tabs on them.”

        Blossompelt nodded thoughtfully. “I think a good scrap is what this clan needs. Who are you going to bring?”

        Stormstar tilted her head. “I was thinking all of the apprentices, Falconflight and Acornfall, Rainfeather, Fireflower, Flameflash, Boulderfoot, Eggfur, and Brightclaw.”

        “Quite a force you’ve put together,” Foggywave said dryly.

        “Better safe than sorry. We have no idea how many rogues Thicket has in his group,” Stormstar said.

        “Okay,” Jumpingbird sighed. Eaglepaw gave him a look. How could he be so nonchalant towards his clan leader?

        Stormstar’s tail twitched, but she didn’t remind him of her status.

        An angry yowl sounded behind him, and the clan leader groaned as a pale golden she-cat galloped down the path towards them. Eaglepaw scrambled out of the way as she skidded to a halt before Stormstar.

       “What’s this talk about a battle? You’re not thinking of leaving me behind again, are you?” the golden queen demanded, shoving her face right up against Stormstar’s. “The last time TideClan fought with rogues you made me stay behind with the kits!”

       “Mother, some warriors must remain to guard the camp,” Stormstar sighed.

       “The rogues are the only threats to TideClan! Your father ordered every last cat to fight whenever he got the chance,” the queen growled.

       Stormstar’s golden eyes flashed with uncharacteristic anger. “Perhaps if Nightstar had named you deputy instead of me this would be your decision. Alas, Sunmist, I lead this clan now, and I say that some warriors remain behind in case of an emergency.”

       Eaglepaw’s jaw dropped. Sunmist was the clan leader’s _mother?_

       “An _emergency,”_ Sunmist scoffed. “Whatever you think is best, I suppose. You’ll have me in your squad, right?’

       Stormstar looked to the sky like she was praying. “If you absolutely insist. But if you pop your hip again-“

       “My hip is fine!” Sunmist hissed, stalking away. “And I expect you to clean yourself before we leave. You look like a clump of seaweed that got washed up on the beach!”

       “Yes, Mother,” Stormstar muttered.

       The older queen marched back up the cliff, snapping at a passing Flameflash that she better be taking that squirrel to the elders and not to eat for herself. The calico’s tail bushed in fright and she quickly trotted down to the shore to give the animal to Jumpingbird.

       Eaglepaw huddled against Stormstar. “Your mother scares me.”

       The black she-cat grunted. “You and most of the other cats in this clan.”

       Blossompelt snickered and flopped on her back. “Better run along before she comes back here and flays your hide.”

       Stormstar huffed and scraped her claws over the rock. “Eaglepaw, Flameflash, with me. We move out as soon as the sun goes down.”

       True to her word, Stormstar called for a clan meeting as the shadows began to stretch out behind the trees. Cats slipped from the cave and forest and gathered beneath the boulder, fur bushing in anticipation. There was a tangible air of excitement between the warriors and the apprentices.

       “Cats of TideClan, tonight we ambush the rogues that have been nipping at our tails for moons. We have been more than patient with these cats. We have given them every opportunity to settle down elsewhere, away from TideClan territory so that they may lead lives of their own,” said Stormstar. “But it seems we must give these nuisances a lesson in the form of a good thrashing!”

       Loud yowls of agreement rose up from the assembled cats.

       “Apprentices, tonight is the chance to prove yourself. Fight well, think smart, and we might make warriors of you yet in time for winter!” Stormstar cried.

       Eaglepaw cheered along with the rest of the apprentices. He could hardly believe he had been with these cats for so long, leaving only a short time left before he would receive his warrior name as per TideClan tradition. It had been the hardest thing he’d ever done, training under Boulderfoot, but it was more than worth it to serve a people like this.

       Stormstar leapt down from her perch and led her way up to the forest. Aukletpaw was practically jumping out of her fur from excitement. Redpaw and Softpaw were reviewing battle moves. Dustypaw, who was usually so quiet and sweet, jumped on Eaglepaw and yelled in his ear. He let her ride on his back for a bit as the clan galloped at a steady pace towards the twoleg colony.

      “I got dibs on that one tom who scratched up Aukletpaw! Who are you gonna get?” Dustypaw demanded.

      Eaglepaw groaned. “I might have beaten up Thicket’s mate. Slinky black she-cat, green eyes, kinda skinny. Wouldn’t mind meeting her again.”

      “Ooh, his _mate?_ Damn.”

      “I know. Thicket has it out for me, no doubt.” He shivered, and Dustypaw slid off. “He almost killed me on that patrol.”

      “We won’t let anything happen to you,” she promised. “All of TideClan versus some scrappy rogues? They’ll be crying for their mothers as soon as they get one look at us!”

      “Something tells me it’ll take more than us to scare cats like them,” Eaglepaw muttered, his pelt tingling with nervousness.

      “Well said.” Boulderfoot fell back to run next to them. “We’ve fought with these rogues for some time, and they always rely on their numbers to make up for whatever they lack in strength and size. They know to not underestimate us.”

      “If we kill Thicket, will they disband?” Dustypaw asked.

      “It’s possible. But remember, the warrior code demands that we show mercy. We will not kill their leader unless it proves to be necessary.” Boulderfoot’s tone was stern. Eaglepaw and Dustypaw nodded respectfully as he raced ahead to catch up with the other warriors.

      “Still gonna beat their asses,” Dustypaw hissed to the tabby.

      “Pfft!”

      Another familiar cat bounded up to them, lean form stretching out and contracting in the shadows. Bluepaw grinned at him, fangs glinting against his dark, wedge-shaped head.

      “What? You’re coming too?” Eaglepaw asked in disbelief.

      “Duh! I told Petrelswoop he could stay behind and prepare for when we get back. He wouldn’t be able to keep up with us.”

      Softpaw grunted approval from behind them. “I’m already looking forward to some ginger for my leg.”

      The chattering of cats died down as the sun sank down below the horizon. Eaglepaw looked back briefly as they passed the scent markers that marked the boundary of their territory. He knew he would most likely not see it again until tomorrow.

      By the time the smell of the twoleg colony hit his nose the stars had changed position in the sky. Eaglepaw gasped for breath as Stormstar called for them to halt. He had no idea how long they had been moving. The clan crawled under some bushes to power nap, stretch, and take a squat in the dirt.

      He caught a lemming and shared it with Bluepaw. They and the rest of the apprentices piled together in a heap on a patch of moss and knocked out.

      A paw nudging his shoulder woke him what felt like two seconds after he shut his eyes. Eaglepaw woke with a groan, blinking up into the dark green eyes of Boulderfoot.

      “It’s time.” The black tom vanished into the shadows.

      Eaglepaw nosed his friends awake and followed his mentor. Stormstar was assembling the clan and trying to shrug off her mother, who was insisting that she help lead the patrol. Salvation came in the form of Rainfeather, who ordered Sunmist to instead bring up the rear. The golden she-cat passed Eaglepaw with a snarl.

      One at a time, they squeezed under a wooden fence and into the twolegs’ territories. Eaglepaw felt a surge of nostalgia. He had spent his kittenhood in a colony like this.

      When he looked over at Redpaw he could tell she was thinking the same thing. Wherever Steven was, Eaglepaw thought, he hoped his old twoleg was happy and safe.

      He was brought out of his thoughts by Bluepaw brushing up against him. Eaglepaw bumped his cheek to the other tom’s forehead, grateful for his presence. The clan would need Bluepaw’s courage and skills this night; there was no doubt about that.

      Stormstar took the lead, and TideClan filed in behind her, creeping silently along the fence. A twoleg monster roared by, sweeping the clan with its stinging-smoke scent. Eaglepaw was surprised at how disgusting he found it already.

     As they passed a wooden fence surrounding a twoleg den, a black-and-white housecat leapt up to balance on its edge, amber eyes curious.

     Somebody hissed behind Eaglepaw, but Stormstar’s ears pricked in greeting. “Lola! Just the cat I was looking for. How’s it been?’

     “My twolegs got a new kitten. Alas, I am deprived of love and affection,” Lola cried dramatically. “But my problems can wait. Tonight’s the night, yes?”

     “Oh, yes.” Stormstar rolled her massive shoulders. “Would you do the honors?”

     “Gladly, clan leader.” Lola leapt down from her fence and pranced down the narrow stretch of grass separating the nest from the forest.

     Eaglepaw blinked, shrugged, and trotted after them.

 


	10. Chapter 10

            Eaglepaw’s tiredness and sore muscles were quickly forgotten as Lola led them deeper and deeper into the colony. The clean smells of the forest became overlaid with that nasty smoke the twolegs’ monsters spewed, and the tall light-posts lining the roads blocked out the stars and moon. Almost immediately he longed to be back on the cliff.

            “It’s weird, isn’t it? I remember the first time I came back here after I joined TideClan,” Bluepaw meowed quietly. “Petrelswoop almost kicked me; I kept on whining about the smell.”

            Eaglepaw snorted, imagining little Bluepaw sassing everything in his path. “Why were you two here?”

            “Herbs. Twolegs grow them all the time in their gardens. Ooh, that reminds me, I want to try that once winter is over-“

            “Ssh!” Stoneeye hissed from behind. “Save your chitchat for later!”

            Eaglepaw’s ears grew hot. Bluepaw just snickered.

            The patrol suddenly slowed, and he almost plowed into Aukletpaw. Stormstar flicked her tail into the air, a signal for everyone to get down and be ready. Eaglepaw gulped and all but smashed himself into the dirt. He sensed the other apprentices’ nervous energy, save for Bluepaw’s. The slender tom was grinning from ear to ear.

            Ahead of them was a structure like a twoleg’s den, but much bigger and devoid of light and life. It wasn’t hosting any twolegs, which was good, but if Eaglepaw concentrated he could pick up on the scent of unfamiliar cats. This was definitely the rogues’ camp.

            Lola whispered something to the clan leader and galloped off, no doubt to a relaxing evening with her twolegs and her new kitten friend. For a guilty moment, Eaglepaw envied her, just a little bit.

            The night was then split with Stormstar’s battle cry.

            As one, TideClan surged forward. The warriors formed the lead, Stormstar at the point, with the apprentices and older fighters behind them. Eaglepaw raced alongside his sister into the old twoleg structure. The loud cheering of his clanmates was magnified and echoed as they stormed inside.

            The rogues had gotten a moment’s notice from all their yelling, but it was clear they were completely taken by surprise by the attack. Boulderfoot, Rainfeather, and Stormstar threw themselves at a gang of rogues scrambling to assemble some kind of defense and bowled them over without remorse. Stoneeye took on a pair of furious yearlings. Sunmist pulled a large calico off his back just after they started brawling. Falconflight and Acornfall ran further into the camp to flush out more enemies.

            Redpaw led the apprentices after the brothers. A furious scream made them all jump, and a familiar pair of twin black she-cats galloped out of the shadows.

            One of them came to a halt when she saw Eaglepaw. “You!”

            “Good evening. How’s the leg?” he couldn’t help but ask.

            She roared and lunged at him. Eaglepaw reared up on his hind legs and caught her as she smashed into his chest, sending both of them flying. He grunted, impressed by her strength, but quickly rolled them over so she wouldn’t slash his throat. Something leapt on to his back, and judging by the sharp fangs sinking into his shoulder he guessed that would be the she-cat’s sister. He bucked her off but was punished by another set of claws to the face.

            Softpaw jumped on one queen and punched her hard enough to make her stagger into the wall. The other tabby grunted his appreciation and sent his own opponent off with another bite to the leg. Tradition and all that.

            He and Softpaw tackled another huge tomcat together, using his age against him by repeatedly hitting and biting his joints. Otterpaw joined in on the fun and shredded his ear. They left him alone after he fell on his face. Three more rogues came to replace the tom, and Eaglepaw, Otterpaw and Softpaw ended up shrieking for Aukletpaw after one almost took Softpaw’s bad leg off. Said she-cat came barreling out of the main fray at top speed and took a flying leap on to one of the toms, crushing him beneath her weight.

            “I think you killed him!” Eaglepaw yelped as they scrambled out of the corner.

            Aukletpaw cackled. “Nah, but every time he breathes for the next moon he’ll be thinking of me!”

            Boulderfoot hadn’t being lying when he said the rogues relied on strength in numbers. TideClan’s cats were massive, all muscle and bone and fur, but Thicket’s gang seemed unending and unyielding.

            Eaglepaw paused after he sent a brown tabby screeching for her mother. Speaking of, where _was_ that cat?

            His answer came in the form of a large gray tabby sinking his claws into his shoulders from above. Eaglepaw instinctively dropped and rolled, but Thicket just sprung off him, twisting midair and landing on his feet.

            “I’d appreciate it if you’d stop beating up my mate,” the gray tom growled.

            “Hey, she’s the one who started it! Besides, she can take care of herself. Wanna see the holes she put in my shoulder?” Eaglepaw said cheerfully. Thicket just snarled and threw himself at the other tabby.

            They wrestled into the open area where all of the main fighting was taking place. Through glimpses, it was hard to see who was winning, but because there were no dead TideClan cats laying around Eaglepaw decided he’d hope for the best.

            He squealed in pain as Thicket got ahold of an ear. That was definitely gonna scar. He sank his claws into the older tom’s chest and pulled down as hard as he could. Thicket grunted and leapt back, only to get sideswiped by Stormstar. The two leaders seemed glad to see each other, if ‘glad’ meant trying to pull each other’s organs out.

            The battle seemed to cease as Stormstar and Thicket tore into each other like a pair of cats possessed. The rogues and TideClan broke apart to watch them. Eaglepaw saw Dustypaw and some dark tabby staring at the fight, still smashed against each other from their brawling. Acornfall dropped a white she-cat he had been holding up in the air.

            A surge of ice water ran through Eaglepaw when he realized he hadn’t seen Bluepaw at all for quite some time. He had found a place to hide, right? Should he sneak away and try and find him? What if he was hurt?

            A screech startled him out of his thoughts. Stormstar had Thicket pinned to the ground, massive paws nearly crushing the tom’s throat. The black-and-silver she-cat looked _terrifying_ in the dim light, blood dripping from her fangs and spiking her already raised fur. She leaned down to her opponent’s face with a snarl. Thicket looked even worse.

            Eaglepaw stared in horror. Was she seriously going to kill him?

            He was saved the trauma when Stormstar stepped off. She raised her broad head and surveyed the mass of cats. “Tonight, I will spare your leader as my last act of generosity. If any of my warriors scent your gang on TideClan territory again we will not be so kind. We will come back, and we will pick you off, one by one.”

            Stormstar’s ears flattened and she snarled so loudly every cat flinched. The rogues took off so fast TideClan was left behind in their dust.

            Redpaw yowled after them. “That’s right, scum! Run!”

            There was a brief moment of silence after Thicket and his rogues fled. TideClan cats looked at each other, surprised, and then a single victorious cry filled the air. It was echoed by another cat, and then they were all cheering and shoving each other around, bloody and exhausted but in very good spirits.

            Eaglepaw didn’t partake in the celebration. He took off running, mouth and nose open to catch the scent of herbs.

            “Bluepaw! Bluepaw!” he cried, checking every corner and shadow. Where was that little medicine cat?

            A cat dropped down on Eaglepaw’s back, sharp claws pricking at skin as they both collapsed to the ground. Eaglepaw yelped in terror. He readied himself to throw his attacker off, but then familiar sniggering in his ear made him stop.

            “Bluepaw!” He flopped over and hugged the Siamese to his chest. “You’re alive! I couldn’t find you, and then I looked for you, and then-“

            “Can’t breathe!” Bluepaw squeaked. He shoved himself upright and looked down at Eaglepaw, before collapsing from laughter. The tabby squeaked in dismay.

            “It’s not funny!” Eaglepaw wailed, shoving the other tom off his belly. The medicine cat apprentice made a face at him before galloping off to the rest of the clan, Eaglepaw hard on his heels.

            “Is anybody about to die?” Bluepaw yelled, smacking Acornfall as he moaned about his pulled tail. “Not you, you useless furball.”

            “My leg,” Stoneeye grunted, limping forward. Sure enough, skin and muscle had been torn open from his thigh to the bend above his paw. It must have been hurting something terrible for the old warrior to speak up, and it showed in his flattened ears and shifting eyes.

            Stormstar and Sunmist supported him as they all headed outside. Bluepaw darted around, his long muzzle wrapped in cobwebs and his mouth full of leaves. Stoneeye slumped down on his side and let the younger tom treat the wound. Eaglepaw watched Bluepaw calmly and quickly stop the bleeding, smear the pulped leaves on it, and bind it with long blades of grass. Nimble paws quickly formed knots and wiped up bloody fur. After Stoneeye was taken care of Bluepaw moved on to the next cat.

            Eaglepaw watched in awe. Watching other cats bleed was bad enough; he could barely imagine making all the bleeding stop.

            Thankfully, none of the other warriors had injuries like Stoneeye. Softpaw’s leg was aching, but the apprentice refused to complain as the clan slowly moved out. Eaglepaw and Redpaw supported the golden tom on both sides so that he wouldn’t collapse. Otterpaw trailed after them, obviously concerned for his brother but not saying anything.

            It was only when they got back to the forest did Eaglepaw know true fear.

            Stormstar had been slowing down after the battle, even having Rainfeather take the lead as every cat squeezed through the opening in the twoleg fence to the other side. Eaglepaw watched her suspiciously as she shrugged off Sunmist, who was getting progressively angrier with her daughter as she didn’t tell her what was wrong.

            They made it just out of sight from the twoleg colony when the clan leader collapsed.

            Immediately Bluepaw was at her side. He rolled her to her back, frantically searching for an injury, Sunmist screeching in panic.

            Eaglepaw raced over to the fallen she-cat. “Bluepaw, what’s happening?”

            “I don’t-“ he began, but then one paw found its way to her throat and came back covered in blood. “Oh, sweet StarClan, that mangy tom slit her throat.”

 _"What?”_ Eaglepaw shrieked. All around them, the clan erupted into hisses of anger, wounds forgotten.

           “I’m sorry,” Stormstar croaked. “Oh, I just wanted to go home, I’m so tired…”

           Sunmist whimpered and crouched by her head. “Oh, my sweet kit. Bluepaw, why aren’t you doing anything?!”

           “She’s dying.” Bluepaw bowed his head and gave Stormstar a quick lick to her ear.

           Eaglepaw wanted to scream. Stormstar couldn’t be dying! She wasn’t even done growing yet; her life was supposed to last beyond most of the current warriors’. One blow to the neck shouldn’t have been enough to do this.

           But all too quickly, the majestic black she-cat gave one last rattling breath and went still. Eaglepaw stared down at her in disbelief. Shock slowly began creeping through his body.

           The warriors of TideClan bowed their heads.

           Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Redpaw stare at Stormstar’s body, her eyes wide as two amber moons.

           Bluepaw, however, didn’t seem too distressed. He went to cleaning his bloodied paws and then to wiping the dark liquid from his leader’s shredded throat.

           Eaglepaw’s jaw dropped in rage. “Are you not even sad?”

           “No, I’m annoyed, because if this dumb furball keeps wasting her lives like she does she won’t make it past next winter,” Bluepaw huffed, large ears flicking.

 _“What?”_ Eaglepaw said again, utterly dumbfounded.

          “Give it a moment.”

          “Bluepaw-“

          “You still don’t believe in the power of StarClan, do you? Well, watch _this.”_

          Eaglepaw laid down, stiff and angry. Redpaw and the other apprentices flopped down next to him. His sister had not taken her eyes off the clan leader. He could practically see her mind whirling. With what, he knew not.

          A cold wind blew through the trees, ruffling fur and stirring dead leaves. Bluepaw rose and muttered something to Rainfeather. The deputy nodded and watched as the medicine cat apprentice headed back for the twoleg colony.

          “Where’s he going?” Eaglepaw growled.

          “Herbs,” Sunmist rasped. He jumped, having completely forgotten that the older warrior was still there. “Twolegs are about as useful as a dead coyote, but at least they grow a lot of useful stuff in their gardens.”

 _Twolegs aren’t that bad,_ he wanted to protest, but he decided Sunmist was in a terrible enough mood as it was. She just watched her daughter die.

         It seemed like it had been a whole season by the time the horizon began to lighten, and with the approaching dawn brought Bluepaw. The lanky tom’s mouth was stuffed with various kinds of herbs, and he had wrapped spiderwebs around his tail.

         He sat down heavily by Stormstar and dropped his findings. “Softpaw, some ginger for your leg- eat _slowly,_ you mangy clod. And Eaglepaw, scrape your old dressings off and put some more cobweb on your shoulder.”

         Eaglepaw and Softpaw obeyed him. Meanwhile, Bluepaw inspected Stormstar’s neck, and sighed in relief.

         “Is she-“ Eaglepaw began, but ended with a shriek of shock as Stormstar jerked awake with a gasp.

 _“Gah!_ Eat shit, you scraggly- Oh, hello Mother.”

         “Stormstar!” Sunmist cried, all but throwing herself on top of the clan leader. “Oh, thank StarClan! You scared the fur off me!”

         “Sorry,” Stormstar grunted.

         Eaglepaw gaped at her. His eyes had to be playing tricks on him.

         A voice in his ear made him jump. “Every clan leader receives nine lives from StarClan. It is not until they have died nine times that they leave this world permanently.”

         Eaglepaw’s eyes blew wide as he looked down at Bluepaw. To live nine lifetimes- it seemed impossible. Looking up at Stormstar as she pushed herself to her feet, he gained even more appreciation for the amount of responsibility and power she carried.

         Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Redpaw talking quietly to Falconflight about something. The tom seemed to relax a little at the apprentice’s words, and he dipped his head in respect as Stormstar passed him to lead again. Whatever his sister had told the warrior, it seemed to calm him down a little.

 _She’ll make a great leader someday,_ he thought happily. Following them, his steps lightened as they made their way home.

 


	11. Chapter 11

            They arrived back at camp around midday.

            The elders, Mousefoot, and the older kittens raced up to greet them. Stormstar greeted them wearily, still worn out after dying and coming back to life. Everybody else looked to be in the same mood- even easygoing Oceansong growled at a kit when she got underfoot. Unfortunately, Blossompelt and Jumpingbird weren’t having it, and Eaglepaw was corralled by the kits along with Redpaw and Aukletpaw to tell the tale.

            “… and Softpaw, Otterpaw and Eaglepaw took on _five_ rogues at once! Then I had to rescue them, because they’re idiots-“

            “Oi!” Otterpaw protested.

            “-And then I took out this tom by squashing him. Oh, and did I mention Eaglepaw took on Thicket again? His ear tells all,” Aukletpaw graciously regaled their audience while Eaglepaw and Redpaw tried to not fall asleep on each other.

            “Bah! That’s barely a scratch. Back in my day we sliced each other’s ears off all the time, and we liked it!” Blossompelt squawked. Jumpingbird and Foggywave nodded in agreement.

            “Yeah, it doesn’t hurt,” Eaglepaw yawned.

            “If I see you tacking a cat like Thicket again all by yourself I’ll beat your ass,” Redpaw growled, cuffing Eaglepaw upside the head.

            “Yes, sister dear.”

            Aukletpaw flicked her tail to get their attention. “After that I hear this _deafening_ scream, and when I look Stormstar’s got Thicket pinned. They’re both bloody and tired, but it’s obvious we’ve won. It was _dead quiet.”_

            Blossompelt growled in satisfaction. “Please tell me Stormstar pulled out his entrails and littered the ground with them.”

            Aukletpaw blinked. “Uh, no. She let him go and told the rogues that if they ever came back we’d fight them again.”

            “What?” Jumpingbird snarled and leapt to his feet. “That blasted she-cat let him go? Her soft-heartedness will be the death of us all!”

            Anger made Eaglepaw’s hackles rise. “Stormstar is _merciful._ Killing Thicket would have just made the rogues come after us for revenge! And besides, they’d just replace him with another leader.”

            “Well said, apprentice,” a voice said from behind them. Eaglepaw turned to see Boulderfoot and Rainfeather padding over to them. Blossompelt and Jumpingbird looked at each other like, _Uh oh._

            “May I remind you that it is because of Stormstar that you are even alive at all, Foggywave. Had it not been for her quick thinking last winter you would have lost your life to dogs,” Rainfeather said quietly. “And Blossompelt, Jumpingbird, a warrior never takes a life without a good cause. We needed Thicket alive.”

            “Hmph.” Blossompelt pushed herself to her feet. “You may be deputy, queen, but you’d be surprised at how much a cat sees in fifteen season cycles. Let’s just say I look forward to you taking over this clan.”

            With that, the tortoiseshell stalked off, Jumpingbird and Foggywave following her. Thistlefeather blinked up at his friends, sleepy eyes confused. Then he rolled over and went back to sleep.

            “Cranky old flea-bags,” Eaglepaw grunted. Aukletpaw snickered, nudging Redpaw with her foot. His sister made a face at her.

            “Careful, Eaglepaw. Don’t stoop to their level.” Boulderfoot flopped down next to him and Redpaw. “Their tongues have been loosened by age, anyways.”

            “Yeah,” Eaglepaw agreed reluctantly.

<> 

            For the rest of the afternoon and through the night, they slept. Eaglepaw would have gladly slept through the morning, too, but was prodded awake by Fireflower.

            “Up you go, sweet cheeks. You’re on dawn patrol.”

            “Unngghh.”

            “Uh-huh. Up and at ‘em!”

            Eaglepaw dragged himself out of the den, blinking the sleep from his eyes. Was it his imagination or was this morning a little chillier than the previous ones?

            Padding after Fireflower, the dark tabby saw Falconflight, Acornfall, Thunderstep, Sunmist, and Eggfur waiting for them at the path leading up to the forest. Acornfall was blinking angrily into the rising sun like it had insulted his ancestors, and Eggfur was falling asleep on Thunderstep’s shoulder.

            “Happy crowd today,” Fireflower snickered.

            “I’m gonna smack you,” Falconflight growled.

            “Pfft.” Fireflower led the way up the slope, fiery red tail waving in the early morning sunlight. Eaglepaw sniffed a frost-coated leaf and sneezed at the sensation.

            As soon as they set off at a swift pace the chilly breeze became more enjoyable. Eaglepaw ended up trotting beside Sunmist, the old she-cat completely comfortable with the near-gallop.

            “You don’t think those rogues are coming back anytime soon?” he asked her.

            Sunmist bared her teeth in a grin that didn’t reach her eyes. “If they like their tails attached to their asses they won’t.”

            “How many times has Stormstar died?” Eaglepaw asked curiously, but instantly regretted it when she turned to him with flattened ears and narrowed eyes.

            “That is _none_ of your business,” she spat. “Ask me something like that again and I’ll throw you from the cliff!”

            “Yes, Sunmist. I’m sorry.” Eaglepaw ducked his head in shame.

            “You better be,” she hissed.

            “Don’t kill him, Sunmist. I think we’d all like to know how far along our leader is,” Falconflight snickered.

            Sunmist snarled, leaping over to the tabby and spitting. “What’s that supposed to mean, you ugly rat? I’ll get Rainfeather to put you on tick duty for the elders!”

            “I just think it’s a good idea for us to know when she’s running out. Stormstar’s not immortal.” Falconflight shrugged. Thunderstep nodded in agreement. Eggfur looked thoughtful, green eyes distant and unreadable.

            “How many lives a leader has is between them and the medicine cat!”

            Falconflight rolled his eyes and muttered something to Thunderstep. The two toms and Eggfur took the lead. Fireflower trailed after them, unsure.

            Sunmist’s hackles were still spiked, and when Eaglepaw caught her eye she started to say something, most likely another scathing comment, but then her fur smoothed out. “I’m not angry with you, Eaglepaw. I’m angry at myself.”

            Her voice was almost calm. That shocked Eaglepaw more than anything, or at least until Sunmist signaled for him to walk with her.

            “It was late Greenleaf when Nightstar died,” Sunmist said quietly. Her amber eyes were lost in memory. “He gave his last life fighting a wolf.”

            “A _wolf?”_

            “Indeed. It was a loner, and out of its mind from the foaming sickness. It had already killed poor Leafspots and Seawhisker, and we knew it would track their scents back to our camp. Nightstar ordered the warriors and apprentices to escort the elders and nursing queens down the coast. He found the wolf himself, and Stormstar- her warrior name was Stormclaw, distracted it. When the wolf was preoccupied with trying to catch her, Nightstar leapt out of a tree from behind, bit its neck with everything he had in him, and clawed its eyes out.”

            Eaglepaw stared up at her, eyes wide in awe.

            “StarClan must have given him the strength of ten cats that day. Somehow he had bitten through to the wolf’s spine, and while he couldn’t break it the wound by itself was fatal. The animal flew into a fit of rage as it died, bit Nightstar, and finally collapsed at the border. I made it just in time to watch him die.” Sunmist gazed off into the distance, her amber eyes lit up by the light of the piercing dawn. “My poor daughter was in shock when she saw him. Barely out of her kitten fluff, and she was to become the next leader of TideClan!”

            “Nobody was angry with Stormstar, right? I mean, _Nightstar_ chose her, she didn’t just strut up in front of the clan one day and demand to be deputy,” Eaglepaw meowed nervously.

            “They were outraged. Nightstar appointing her deputy was bad enough. But for her to actually become clan leader? Out of all the experienced warriors, cats who have seen many battles and season cycles and become all the wiser for it, and they were expected to follow young Stormclaw, who was barely a warrior. Petrelswoop almost refused to take her to the Mooncave to receive her name and lives from StarClan,” Sunmist spit.

            “The Mooncave?”

            “It’s a cave filled with these crystal-clear pools, and it’s like walking through the stars themselves because the walls and ceiling glow. Leaders and medicine cats go there to consult StarClan when they need to. I went there as an apprentice.”

            Eaglepaw couldn’t believe good-natured Petrelswoop would be so hostile to Stormstar. The ancient tabby had been so eager to welcome him and Redpaw into his clan, taking care of them and every other cat.

            Then he remembered the look he had given Stormstar when she had visited them as they recovered. He had glared at her like she was a burr in his groin.

            “But Stormstar’s a great leader! She’s already proven herself.”

            Sunmist sighed. “Not to the other warriors, she hasn’t. I can only hope that with Bluepaw’s support and the new generation of warriors coming in that everything will change. I’m an old cat, Eaglepaw, and Stormstar is my last kit. When StarClan calls me, I just want her to be alright.”

            “I promise I’ll do everything in my power to make that happen,” he promised her. “Stormstar won’t be alone.”

            That seemed to soothe the old she-cat. She touched the tip of her tail to his back before trotting ahead, her steps a little lighter.

            But Eaglepaw was far from happy. If it was as bad as Sunmist seemed to think it was- not to mention Nightstar, then Stormstar could very well be facing mutiny. Nearly all the warriors, queens, and elders disliked her. Petrelswoop despised the young she-cat as well. That only left Rainfeather, the apprentices, and Bluepaw on Stormstar’s side.

            _Bluepaw._ Young as he was, the little tom held great power in TideClan. If he could do something to convince the rest of the clan that Stormstar was the leader they needed, then perhaps her troubles would cease, and she could become the hero that Eaglepaw knew she was destined to be.

            Slowly, but surely, an idea began to take shape.

           

           


	12. Chapter 12

            As soon as he got back from dawn patrol he went to find Bluepaw.

            The medicine cat was at the tide pools, as usual, helping Stone-eye wash out his injured leg. The old tom hissed softly as Bluepaw pressed moss to the wound, still sore from the battle.

            “Well don’t just stand there like a newborn moose! Are you coming or going?” Stone-eye snapped at Eaglepaw. “If you’re coming, do me a favor and catch me that crab right there.”

            Obediently, Eaglepaw pounced on the crab Stone-eye had been looking at and brought it to him. The old tom grunted in appreciation and crunched through its hard shell.

            “I’ll be honest with you, Stone-eye, you’ll probably limp for a while,” Bluepaw told him.

            “Bah! I’m not about to end my days as a warrior hobbling about. I’ll be walking on all fours in no time.” Stone-eye hauled himself out of the water, obviously fighting back a wince. “And get out of that blasted water before you get the freezing-shakes.”

            “My pelt’s thicker than it looks,” Bluepaw said wryly, even as he gracefully leapt out of the tide pool. Eaglepaw watched in fascination as the sun’s light touched his dark sand coat and tinted it with gold.

            Then he realized that he probably looked like an idiot standing there gaping at Bluepaw, and blinked several times to clear his mind. “Hey, Bluepaw, wanna check out that fox den Aukletpaw found earlier?”

            He gave the medicine cat a look that said _Just follow me._

            “Yeah, okay.” Bluepaw trotted up to him, large ears catching the sea breeze and making them twitch. Making sure he was blocking the smaller tom from the chill, he and Bluepaw trotted up the cliff path to the forest.

            Stormstar had sent out several patrols that morning and weren’t due back anytime soon, so as soon as they were into the woods Eaglepaw looked down at his friend.

            “I have an idea that’ll help Stormstar become more popular as a leader,” he declared. “But I need you for it to work.”

            Bluepaw blinked in surprise. “Oh?”

            “We need to go to the Mooncave and talk to StarClan.”

            “Wha- talk to _StarClan?_ Eaglepaw, they’re not just some ghosts to nag whenever we need help with something!”   

            “I know. And I’m being dead serious when I say this: I think that if things keep going the way they are, some cat is going to organize a mutiny against Stormstar. Please, Bluepaw. Only a medicine cat can converse with StarClan so directly.”

            The lanky tom stopped in his tracks. “Did Nightstar tell you about this?”

            “He definitely hinted at it a few times,” Eaglepaw admitted. “But think about it. How long is this gonna last before a fight breaks out? Or if somebody hatches a plot to exile Stormstar for good? She needs our help.”

            Bluepaw’s ears flattened, eyes distant. “If somebody finds out about this, we will be up to our furry asses in trouble.”

            “No doubt.”

            “Stoneeye will tie us together and throw us in the sea to drown.”

            “There are worse ways to go.”

            “We’ll be fetching moss for the elders all winter.”

            “Oh, yeah we will.”

            “Meet me here tonight. As soon as the moon comes up, I’ll be here.”

            “Hell yes.”

<> 

            The rest of the day went by unbearably slow and all too quick. As soon as the sun dipped below the sea, Eaglepaw made a beeline for his nest.

            “Tired, Eaglepaw?” Redpaw egged as she strutted beside him.

            “Uh-huh.” He yawned for emphasis. “Winter, y’know? Sucks the life right out of you.”

            “Pfft. Oh, speak of! Look at the snow.”

            Sure enough, little white flakes were beginning to drift down from the dark sky, dusting across the cliff as the wind blew them around. One landed on Eaglepaw’s nose. He went cross-eyed as he tried to keep it in his sights, amazed at how something so tiny and soft could be so bitterly cold.

            It was warm and comfortable in the apprentices’ den. Foggywave’s prediction about the near snowfall had been correct, and so Dustypaw and her brothers had collected enough moss and leaves to cover the cavern floor. They wouldn’t be using their own nests for a long time; packing close together to sleep was the only way to keep from freezing to death overnight.

            Softpaw, Otterpaw, and Dustypaw were already piled on Aukletpaw, with Redpaw joining in by Softpaw and wrapping herself around the golden tom. Eaglepaw flopped down and curled his body around them all, his back to the entrance.

            “You’re not going be too cold like that?” Redpaw asked suspiciously.

            “No. I don’t get cold easily, don’t worry.”

            “Make sure you move over during the night,” she ordered.

            “Yes, sister dear.”

            Otterpaw groaned. “How do you deal with it, Eaglepaw?”

            The other apprentices erupted into laughter, ignoring Redpaw’s protests. After a few more moments of squabbling everybody settled down. By the time the snowstorm finally picked up they were all asleep.

            All except Eaglepaw, of course.

            When he was certain they weren’t going to be disturbed by anything, Eaglepaw silently rolled over and peered outside. He smelled all the warriors in their den, the elders in the cavern behind theirs. Acornfall’s loud snores were audible over the rest of the cats’. The kits in the nursery weren’t squeaking. Except for the gusting wind, all was still.

            He checked the apprentices one last time and slipped out.

            Keeping away from the rock wall, where his scent could catch and linger, he crept through the shadows. He only relaxed once he was outside of the cave.

            Eaglepaw bounded up the trail to the forest, the freezing wind a bit miserable but strangely rejuvenating. The snow and wind covered his tracks. If this was what winter was really like, he decided, it sure was magical.

            Another flurry of snow made him squeak as some of it got up his nose. He sneezed it out, face scrunching. _Blarg._

            The forest was so different from how it usually was he almost got lost a few times. It was only his sense of smell that led him to the tree where he and Bluepaw had talked.

            When he saw the little medicine cat, he almost started laughing. Poor Bluepaw was bunched in on himself, trembling from the cold. His large ears, perfect for dispelling heat in the summer, were now a liability as frost collected on the edges. He looked like a pale lump of snowy annoyance.

            “Yeah, yeah, make fun of the poor Siamese,” Bluepaw complained as he led the way through the brush.

            “I thought you said your coat was thicker than it looked?” Eaglepaw snorted.

            “It is! It’s just not as dense as yours.”

            “Whine, whine.”

            “Ugh, Maine Coons. Thick fur, thick skulls.”

            “Hey!”

            Eaglepaw had no idea where they were going, but it eventually became clear that they were close to leaving clan territory. The familiar pines and cedars gave way to a dead grass field. Boulders strewed the landscape, their tops already collecting an impressive amount of snow. The night sky above was snowy and starless.

            “How far is the Mooncave, exactly?” he asked Bluepaw.

            “Not too far from our peninsula. Feels like forever, though.” The lanky tom pressed close to Eaglepaw, shivering. Eaglepaw rested his tail over that narrow back and wondered if the sudden warmth in his ears meant an oncoming episode of the freezing-shakes.

            Luckily, his body seemed to finally get used to the bitter cold. Tufted ears flattened to his head. His massive paws were perfect for trudging through the snow. Bluepaw ended up falling behind to walk in his footsteps, slender legs no good as the white power grew deeper and deeper. For the first time that night, Eaglepaw became a little concerned as Bluepaw’s strides began to grow stiffer.

            _This was a bad idea,_ he worried. _I should have never asked him to do this._

            But if the medicine cat wanted to turn back, he gave no signs of it. For the first time, Eaglepaw could see how Bluepaw’s toughness had kept him alive, even when he was nothing but a scrappy runt. There were some things size didn’t define.

            The edge of a cliff came into view. Eaglepaw narrowed his eyes against the ferocious storm and nudged Bluepaw with a hind leg.

            The medicine cat gave a weak cry. “Almost there!”

            They stumbled down a narrow path. Keeping to the cliff like ticks, Eaglepaw and Bluepaw half-climbed, half-skidded to the small beach at the bottom.

            The icy mist from the ocean was even more miserable than the storm above, but Eaglepaw forced himself into a steady trot. He couldn’t give up now.

            Through the gloom, a dark cave pierced the black rock, the entrance only a few heads taller than Eaglepaw. Bluepaw galloped ahead, legs shaking, and dove inside. The tabby jumped in after him and all but tackled him further into the tunnel.

            “Ohhh, _StarClan._ Shit.” Bluepaw buried his face in Eaglepaw’s chest fur, whole body shuddering. Eaglepaw licked his fur with a desperate roughness, trying to get some warmth back into that skinny body.

            “I’m sorry, Bluepaw,” he groaned. “This was so stupid.”

            “Yeah, it kinda was. Can’t turn back now, though. Come on.”

            Bluepaw shook the remaining ice from his coat and trotted into the darkness. It took less than a few seconds before Eaglepaw couldn’t see him anymore. The dark tabby hesitated, instincts telling him that whatever laid ahead might be dangerous.

            “Eaglepaw!”

            He jumped. “Hang on!”

            Using his whiskers to feel the edges of the tunnel, he tip-toed towards where Bluepaw’s voice had come from, trying to ignore the almost painful cold seeping up from the rock below and into his paw pads. Down and down he went, the other tom’s scent the only thing keeping him from bolting back to the surface. A cave like this was no place for a cat. He grunted in alarm when the sides abruptly narrowed and squeezed his torso.

_No place for fat cats like me, that is._

            Eaglepaw huffed and squirmed out of the pinched tunnel. Thankfully, it opened back up again soon after, and then he received a slight shock when the bedrock underneath his paws began to turn to sand. Just where were they, exactly?

            A peculiar glow made him think his eyes were playing tricks on him. But as he neared it, he saw that there was indeed a source of light so many tree-lengths underground. The tunnel sloped upwards to where his friend was waiting.

            Large ears were silhouetted in the strange light as Eaglepaw caught up to Bluepaw. His blue eyes seemed even more intense, like all of the stars in the sky were beaming out from within him. A kind of energy began to tickle at Eaglepaw’s fur.

            “Are you ready?” Bluepaw asked quietly.

            The seriousness of his tone startled Eaglepaw, but he nodded. “Yes.”

            Without another word, the medicine cat apprentice rose to his feet and turned towards the source of the glow, beckoning Eaglepaw to follow.

            The light became almost blinding to him; he had been in darkness for so long. Eaglepaw blinked furiously into the glowing cavern they were entering, and when he saw it clearly for the first time he almost fainted.

            The walls and roof glowed with their own brilliance, like they had somehow birthed a night sky of their own to enjoy. They glowed in slightly different shades of the brightest blues and silvers, so bright that even the littlest crevices were alit. Thick mosses hung from the jutting rock teeth emerging from above and below. They weren’t long enough to be a threat, but Eaglepaw still shivered, wide-eyed with fear and awe. Below, a pool of water so still it looked like ice reflected it all, every detail preserved and perfect. It was all so beautiful he wanted to weep with joy.

 _“How…_ do stars come from caves like these?” he breathed.

            Bluepaw was smiling so wide his eyes narrowed. His fur glowed and sparkled, making Eaglepaw stare in wonder. “They do look like stars, don’t they? Look closer. They’re actually a kind of worm.”

 _“What?”_ Eaglepaw bounded over to a shimmering formation and peered closely at it. Sure enough, he saw that the light wasn’t coming from the rock itself, but instead thousands of little critters that moved slightly at the touch of his whiskers. How could something as ugly as a worm produce something as astonishing as this?

             “Bluepaw, this place is…” Any subconscious misgivings about being a medicine cat over a warrior immediately disappeared. The intense training, the caretaking of other cats after a bloody battle- it was so worth it if it meant seeing things like this.

             “I know.” The slender tom rested his head on Eaglepaw’s shoulder. Eaglepaw was purring so loudly he was afraid the pool would ripple from the vibrations.

             Bluepaw then stiffened, like he was remembering something. “Oh, um. This is where we talk to StarClan.”

             “Wait, we? I thought that _your_ thing! I don’t know how-“

             “Eaglepaw. Relax.” Bluepaw draped his tail over the tabby’s shoulders. “Come with me.”

             Nervousness threatening to make Eaglepaw give off his fear-scent, he followed Bluepaw down to the pool. The other tom dipped his head down to the water. When his nose touched the surface, it rippled, sending out little waves across the entirety of the pool and making the light shimmer.

             “Why must I talk to StarClan as well?” Eaglepaw whispered anxiously.

             “Nightstar.”

             “Nightstar? Wait, I-“

             “Ssh.” Bluepaw then stepped into the water and laid down, slicking down his shimmering fur. “Lay down with me and close your eyes.”

             Heart pounding, Eaglepaw did as he was told. When his paw touched the water, he almost jumped in surprise, for it was as warm as a tide pool in the height of Greenleaf. He stretched out next to the medicine cat and stared down at him.

             “Go to sleep, Eaglepaw.”

 _How could I possibly sleep right now?_ Eaglepaw thought in disbelief, still jittery. Nonetheless, he squeezed his eyes shut and cleared his mind.

            For what seemed like moons, he stayed that way, the warm water of the Mooncave’s pool lapping gently at his fur. A kind of trance stole over him as the rest of the world fell away. He felt his breathing slow. His heart beat lighter and lighter, until he could barely feel it. This scared him greatly.

            Something touched his paw.

           Green eyes blew wide. Eaglepaw inhaled sharply when he saw they were no longer in a glowing cave. Instead, he and Bluepaw were in the ocean shallows, the gentlest of waves brushing by them in a rhythmic pulse. The water itself seemed to glow from within, and so did the sand when he looked up.

           Bluepaw stood and shook the water from his pelt.

           They were on the fishing beach, but… not. Everything seemed made of stars, connected to each other in constellations- the grass, the rocks and trees, the gulls flying overhead. Eaglepaw stumbled to his feet, too shocked to dry himself off.

           Then he saw the cats.

           They were just as dazzling as everything else was. White fire rose from their fur and shone from deep within their eyes. He saw a large tabby, several queens with kits, a beautiful calico that looked just like Flameflash. _Her mother,_ Eaglepaw realized. They looked on from the cliff, the beach, down the shoreline.

           And then a familiar face prowled forward, green eyes blazing. Nightstar came from the crowd with a raised head before stopping and gestured for them to get out of the ocean.

           Eaglepaw and Bluepaw carefully stepped across the sand to him.

           “Bluepaw.” His voice was deep enough to mistake for thunder. “While I appreciate you bringing Eaglepaw to me, you know the rules of letting other cats converse with StarClan.”

           “And yet you nag him every other night while he tries to get some sleep. I wouldn’t be talking if I were you, Nightstar.”

           Eaglepaw gaped at Bluepaw’s reckless sass, but Nightstar just rolled his eyes and sighed. “You do have a point. But I will do as I must to ensure my daughter’s reign is not usurped.”

           “Nightstar, I think you might be right to be worried,” Eaglepaw began. Reluctantly, he told the former clan leader about what Falconflight had said on the dawn patrol, and how many of the other warriors had agreed with him.

           He had barely gotten the last word out before Nightstar snarled in rage and began to pace. The stars in his pelt seemed to flare along with his mood. “Those idiotic _bastards._ How dare they treat Stormstar like this! You said Sunmist was angry as well?”

           “She just about clawed them all senseless. It was terrifying.”

           That seemed to soothe the massive tom a bit. “I knew Sunmist would stay loyal to me. The finest of warriors and queens, that one. But I digress. Eaglepaw, Bluepaw, you two must do everything to prevent any cat from harming Stormstar.”

           “How? We’re just apprentices!” Eaglepaw demanded.

           “Not for long. Take courage, for dark times lie ahead. Eaglepaw, there is a prophecy you should know about as well.”

           Bluepaw opened his mouth to say something, but Nightstar flicked his tail for silence. “He deserves to hear about something that will affect him so directly. _‘When the storm breaks, two will come, a brother and a sister. The sister brings knowledge, the brother, the power of love. And nothing will be the same.’”_

           Eaglepaw stared. “A brother and a sister? Do you think it means me and Redpaw? She knows a lot about things.”

           “What _you_ need to know is that fate works in strange ways.” Nightstar seemed lost in thought for a moment, green eyes distant. Then he looked back at them. “Eaglepaw, you may return to the living world. I will speak with Bluepaw alone.”

           He didn’t want to leave Bluepaw, but the next thing he knew Eaglepaw was jolting awake in the Mooncave.

           Taking deep, shuddering breaths, he hauled himself to his feet and left the pool. His whole body felt sore, like he had swum across the bay at top speed.

            _Holy shit. That just happened._

            Eaglepaw forced himself to take a few moments to calm down and stretch.

            A possible mutiny, a prophecy, a desperate mission to protect his clan leader. It was way too much. His old life as a show cat seemed more distant than the world above. Why did it all have to rest on his and Bluepaw’s shoulders? Surely there were better cats for the job, like Aukletpaw. Aukletpaw was popular, confident, strong in body and mind. If any cat could take on something like this, it would be her.

           But if StarClan chose him for this, they must have decided he could do it. That and Eaglepaw really didn’t want to start a fight with the countless spirits of long-gone warriors. They kind of scared him.

           Eaglepaw decided he would do this for nobody but Stormstar and Bluepaw. He didn’t like Nightstar that much, but he did like his daughter. The sun would fall from the sky before he let his clan leader be in danger from her own cats.

           That was when Bluepaw gasped and all but jumped out of his fur, making Eaglepaw flinch in surprise. The medicine cat stumbled to his feet and shook himself, silvery droplets flying everywhere like a miniature rainstorm.

           Eaglepaw bounded over to him, worried. “What did Nightstar tell you? Are you okay?”

           “I’m… fine. I’m fine.” Bluepaw seemed to be avoiding his eyes. “Just… medicine cat stuff. Let’s get going.”

           “Are you sure? You look a little shaky,” Eaglepaw said, but the other tom was already galloping out of the Mooncave.

           Confused and a little hurt, Eaglepaw ran after him.

 


	13. Chapter 13

            The journey back to camp was even more miserable, if that was even possible. Eaglepaw had to all but shove his way through the snow, using his broad chest and shoulders to clear the way for Bluepaw. The wind was so bitingly cold it was painful, even through Eaglepaw’s dense pelt. He couldn’t even imagine how it was for the smaller tom.

            They didn’t talk much, much to his disappointment. He wanted to know what Nightstar had told his friend. But Bluepaw kept his mouth shut, and Eaglepaw was left to just encourage him to keep moving. If they didn’t make it back before dawn they would be in huge trouble, even if Bluepaw was the future medicine cat of TideClan.

            Bluepaw yelped in alarm as a misplaced paw plunged him into a snow drift. Grunting with effort, Eaglepaw dragged him out by his scruff. Once they got into the forest, they took advantage of the lighter snowfall and quickened their pace.

            At last, the cliff’s edge came into view, and Eaglepaw groaned in relief. His legs were so sore they felt like they were going to fall off.

            Quieter than any mouse, they slunk back into the cave and into their respective dens. Eaglepaw almost face-planted into Redpaw’s warm flank.

            As soon as his body hit the mossy nest he was asleep.

<> 

            Because he didn’t have to go on dawn patrol Eaglepaw got to sleep in, but he still groaned in exhaustion when Redpaw prodded him awake. Every hair on his pelt felt heavy, as if whatever remained of his energy was draining right out of him.

            “Come on! Stormstar says if we do well on our assessments we’re getting our warrior names tonight!”

            That woke him up. _“Holy-!_ I’m coming!”

            He tore after Redpaw, tiredness forgotten. At the forest’s edge, Boulderfoot was waiting for him, and Flameflash for Redpaw. The other apprentices and their mentors must have left already. He hoped the big tom didn’t have to wait up for him.

            “No sleep for you, huh? I don’t blame you. It usually doesn’t get this cold so quickly,” Boulderfoot chuckled.

            Redpaw glared at him. “I told you to not sleep in front of us all night! Now you’re gonna catch a cold.”

            “All night? That was very generous, Eaglepaw, but don’t risk getting sick.” Boulderfoot flicked his thick black tail. “Come on. Eggfur and Brightclaw found a fox den and we need to drive her out before she decided to have her kits so close to camp.”

            “But it’s only the beginning of winter,” Eaglepaw wondered.

            “Foxes mate in mid-winter and give birth in spring,” Redpaw recited. “The bigger an animal is, the longer it takes for the babies to grow in their mother’s bellies.”

            Flameflash nodded approvingly. “Right.”

            But Eaglepaw felt a flash of worry at his sister’s knowledge. Redpaw was so smart and ready to assert herself. She was ready to be a warrior, had been for a couple of moons now. So was Aukletpaw, and sweet Dustypaw, and the brothers Otterpaw and Softpaw.

            He didn’t feel much like a warrior. He was just nervous.

            The forest was chilly and washed white from snow, but the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds and the wind blew much more gently than it had last night. Redpaw caught a vole that had been foraging for seeds underneath a bush. Boulderfoot spat at an eagle that had hopped down to a low branch in a cedar, obviously wondering if any of them were small enough to kill and eat.

            Eaglepaw stared up at his namesake. _Will I ever be as brave as you?_

            As they approached the fox’s den, the smell of the animal seemed to overwhelm everything else in the clearing. He had no idea how such an odorous critter could be so stealthy all the time. Even the rocks should be able to smell that. Eggfur and Brightclaw were sitting some ways away from the den, noses wrinkled.

            “Do we charge?” Redpaw asked.

            “We can’t fight the fox in her den, it’ll be too crowded.” Flameflash pranced up to the den. “Let’s lure her out. _Heeeeyyyyy,_ you stinking carcass! It’s a lovely day outside, you can’t be thinking of lying around all day. Lazy hairball!”

            A loud growl sounded from the darkness, making Flameflash yelp. She definitely hadn’t forgotten the time she got beaten up by a coyote, Eaglepaw thought bemusedly as she scrabbled backwards.

            “What’s going on?” Snow was kicked up everywhere as the rest of the apprentices and their mentors came charging over. Aukletpaw sniffed at the fox den, excitement prickling around her like static.

            “Get back from there!” Eggfur scolded, nipping at her tail. The black-and-white she-cat complained and stomped away.

            “Maybe we can throw sticks in there until she comes out,” Redpaw proposed. Otterpaw looked like he liked that idea and started rooting around in the snow in search of twigs.

            Eaglepaw looked around at the bristling cats, feeling a bit uneasy. The fox just wanted a good place to birth her kits. They didn’t have to treat the poor creature like something with the foaming sicknesss.

            Then something hit him.

 _“Did you not speak with that pine marten?”_ Nightstar had demanded in Eaglepaw’s dream. _“What, do you think every cat can just waltz up to another animal and start gossiping?”_

            Before anybody could stop him, he slipped by Boulderfoot and into the fox den.

            “Wha- _Eaglepaw!_ Get out of there!”

            “I want to try something!” he whispered back. He heard Redpaw yelling in protest, but he ignored her and crawled deeper into the tunnel.

            A soft snarl stopped him in his tracks. Two glowing eyes emerged from the darkness, flashing in anger.

            “Hi,” he said.

            The fox spat.

            “I’m Eaglepaw. Can we talk?”

            There was a long moment of silence. And then, “You speak fox?”

            “I… I guess. Sorry about my clanmates,” he offered.

            There was the sound of shuffling, and then he almost gasped as a brilliant russet head with a slender muzzle appeared from the shadows. She was hauntingly beautiful, in an un-cat like way. Dark eyes flashed warningly, warning him to not come any closer.

            “W-We were hoping you’d choose somewhere else to live,” he stammered. “You’re a bit too close to our camp.”

            The fox pulled her lips back, revealing sharp fangs the color of snow. “And how is that my problem? Don’t come near my den, and there won’t be any problems.”

            “I think we both know that’s not true.”

            She laughed, the raspy sound sending ice water up Eaglepaw’s spine. “Cats are smarter than they look. Who would have thought it?”

            He wondered how cats must look to other animals. “It’s not just about my clan, I promise. You’re pretty close to the cliff’s edge, for one, and I know there’s more than a few warriors that wouldn’t hesitate to kill a fox kit.”

            The she-fox growled. She was thinking, he knew.

            “I fight better than any cat!” she barked at last, rising to her paws. “Your argument is solid, young tom, but I dug this den myself for when I take a mate and give birth. I won’t be frightened off by a tribe of petty dung-chunks!”

            “Then I’ll help you find somewhere else. Please, fox. There is better prey farther from our camp, more for you and your kits. They must come first in all of this.”

            The female froze, gaze distant. Something in her eyes softened like a frozen lake under the warmth of spring. Neither of them spoke.

            She met Eaglepaw’s eyes. “My pride overran everything else, it seems. Very well, cat. I will leave clan ground.”

            Eaglepaw blinked, hardly believing what he had just done. Quickly, he turned and ran back up to the surface.

            “Nobody attack her! I’m taking her out of clan territory,” he told Boulderfoot.

            “What?” the tom asked in disbelief. “Eaglepaw, what did you _do?”_

            “I talked to her,” he breathed, smiling so wide his mouth hurt. “I can talk to other animals, Boulderfoot.”

            He stepped out into the snow, followed by the she-fox. Her pelt seemed to turn to flame as soon as the sunlight hit her, contrasting brilliantly against her black legs and ears. The creamy tip of her tail brushed over the snow ever so gently as she looked down at the clan cats.

            “I leave,” she snapped. Dustypaw jumped. Every cats’ ears except his flattened.

            “She says she’s leaving,” Eaglepaw relayed.

            “Wait, Eaglepaw.” Redpaw charged past her mentor. “You can _understand_ her?”

            “Yeah. I talked to a pine marten before, too. Remember?” He turned to the fox. “Are you ready?”

            “Yes.” She turned and padded away. Eaglepaw gave his clanmates a quick look of reassurance before galloping after her.

            Her legs were much longer than his, and by the time they were almost to the clan’s borders he was gasping for breath.

            “Fat boy,” she taunted.

            “We’ll see who’s smug when winter hits fully,” Eaglepaw shot back. The she-fox cackled and sniffed at the snow, black ears pricked. Then, she shot straight up into the air and dove down, her upper body totally submerged. When she came back up a plump mouse wriggled in her jaws.

            “How did you do that?” he asked in awe.

            “Listen. You are very good at that, cat. Your clanmates could use more of people who can listen instead of speak.” She gulped down the mouse in one go. “Come. You will help me find a good den.”

            Eaglepaw didn’t dare argue with her. The sun made its way across the sky as he scrounged the forest beyond clan borders with the fox. In the end, she decided on a hollow beneath a dying tree. She vanished into the hole with a grunt that clearly told him to piss off before she bit him.

            “Goodbye,” he said. She yipped softly, a strangely clear sound that was as piercing as the ice surrounding him.

            Eaglepaw trotted back to the border’s edge. His heart full of sunlight, he ran the whole way back to camp.

<> 

           The second he skidded into the clearing in front of the cave he wondered if TideClan was preparing for war or something. Nobody was yowling or making a fuss, but by the speaking rock the elders clustered together and muttered anxiously. Even old Thistlefeather, who was severely mentally disabled, looked concerned. The warriors sat nearby, with the other apprentices fidgeting around.

            Redpaw saw him first. She thundered over to him and sniffed him all over. “Just what the hell were you _thinking?_ You could have been killed!”

            Aukletpaw, Dustypaw, and the tabby brothers tumbled over, all wide-eyed. Dustypaw’s tail was bushed up to twice its usual size. Softpaw and Otterpaw started barraging Eaglepaw with questions, while Aukletpaw fussed over him with his sister. Then, Bluepaw appeared from the shadows of the cave and galloped up to Eaglepaw, blue eyes huge.

            “How did you understand that fox?” Otterpaw demanded.

            “I don’t know.”

            “Did she try and kill you?”

            “What? No! I just took her from our territory.”

            Bluepaw seemed the least surprised of anybody. He smiled knowingly at the tabby, making his ears flame. He didn’t say anything other than a murmur of congratulations, but Eaglepaw knew he had the full support of the medicine cat, even if he was acting like he knew something Eaglepaw didn’t.

            Redpaw spoke up again. “Don’t ever do that again! I don’t care if you understand other animals or not, that doesn’t mean we can be friends with them!”

            Eaglepaw opened his mouth to protest, but before he could a sharp yowl sounded. Stormstar was sitting on her rock, her black-and-silver fur rippling in the wind. As TideClan gathered around her there was no sound but the crashing of the ocean waves below.

           “As you all know, this morning Eaglepaw bravely escorted a fox out of TideClan territory,” she began. “No cat was injured in doing so. But, I must ask, Eaglepaw- where did you learn to speak to foxes?”

           All eyes turned to him. Eaglepaw’s ears burned with nervousness and embarrassment. “I-I never learned. Before I came here I talked to a pine marten as well, so I think I can speak to more animals that just foxes.”

           Bluepaw’s ears flicked in surprise.

           “A pine marten? What did it say to you?”

           “Um, I asked them if I could hunt in their territory in peace because Redpaw and I were injured from the monster accident. They said I could.” Eaglepaw had a hard time meeting the amber eyes of the clan leader.

           “’They’?” Stone-eye muttered. “What, was that thing not male or female?”

           “Stranger things exist than people who don’t fall into gender categories,” Otterpaw snapped unexpectedly. Eaglepaw blinked at his sudden hostility.

           But Stormstar nodded in approval. “A good example of why Eaglepaw’s gift might be useful to us. Who knows what else we could learn about other animals?”

           “Why is this a concern of TideClan’s? We’ve gotten along just fine without talking to other creatures,” Mousefoot yelled from the back. In front of her paws were her kits, as well as those of the late Grassbug’s. The younger kits tumbled around without a care, squeaking happily, but Mousefoot’s stared up at the clan leader with wide eyes.

           “We have. But what Eaglepaw did today might have saved us from unnecessary injuries. I know that it sounds strange to us, we who speak to no other creatures, but I gladly accept this gift into our clan.” Stormstar sat back, looking satisfied.

            Falconflight muttered something to Brightclaw, looking unhappy, but other than that everybody seemed like they’d rather just get on with their lives. Redpaw didn’t look entirely pleased, either, and Eaglepaw felt a flash of irritation.

            Stormstar looked like she was thinking about something, and then she smiled. “In light of all this, I believe it is time for me to name some new warriors.”

            A gasp came from Aukletpaw, and even Redpaw’s eyes widened in delight.

            Heart pounding, Eaglepaw was nudged forward by Boulderfoot, who looked like he was about to explode with pride. He looked up at his soon-to-be former mentor, feeling stupidly emotional, but he managed to stumble up to Stormstar with the other apprentices.

            This was happening. This was actually _happening._

            When he glanced back at Bluepaw, the slender tom was looking at him with such a soft gaze Eaglepaw almost started crying. He couldn’t have asked for a better friend. Bluepaw was so important to him, maybe just as much as his sister.

            “I, Stormstar, leader of TideClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these hard-working apprentices. For many moons they have trained in the ways of the clan and of the warrior code, and I ask you know to accept them as full warriors.” Stormstar beamed down at them, looking as proud as a mother. “Aukletpaw, Eaglepaw, Redpaw, Softpaw, Otterpaw, and Dustypaw. Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your lives?”

            “We do!” They all shouted. Behind them, TideClan cheered.

            “Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you all your warrior names. Softpaw, you will now be known as Softstep, for your bravery in light of your disability is an inspiration to us all.”

            The golden tom was purring so hard Eaglepaw thought he might fall from the cliff. He bowed to Stormstar and backed into the front of the crowd, who chanted his name again and again. Otterpaw watched him go, wriggling with anticipation and joy.

            “Redpaw, you will now be known as Redbriar. May your sharp mind and claws never fail, and may your spirit never falter.”

            TideClan whooped and hollered. “Redbriar! Redbriar! Redbriar!”

            His sister joined Softstep, all but jumping on him and kissing him hard. Some of the warriors laughed, and Fireflower gave a piercing wolf-whistle.

            “Otterpaw, you will now be known as Otterscratch. Your ferocity and wit remind us to keep our heads up and our hearts strong.”

            Otterscratch pranced up to his brother and Redbriar, muttering something like “Hell yeah, I’m Otterscratch!”

            “Hell _yeeaahhhh!”_ Softstep shrieked in response.

            Stormstar laughed, covering her face with a paw.

            “Dustypaw, you will now be known as Dustypool. May your kindness and reliability be looked on with favor by every cat in this clan.” Stormstar nodded to the white-and-gray she-cat, who bowed deeply and scooted happily over to Rainfeather.

            “Aukletpaw, you will now be known as Aukletflight. StarClan blessed you with rare confidence and perseverance. Never forget that no matter what, your strength is much more than you think it is.”

            The black-and-white she-cat rose, golden eyes glowing like twin suns. Eaglepaw bumped her shoulder as she passed.

            “And Eaglepaw.” Stormstar’s gaze fell upon him. “You will now be known as Eagleheart. Your gentle soul and open mind will no doubt make you one of the most beloved warriors in the forest. Carry on, young warrior, and spread peace wherever you go.”

            “Eagleheart! Eagleheart!” the clan cheered.

            He was bowled over by a skinny stick of a cat, who made himself known as Bluepaw when he giggled in Eagleheart’s ear. The tabby crushed Bluepaw to his chest, like he had done at the battle with the rogues not too long ago. As the sun shone down on TideClan, Eagleheart couldn’t remember ever being happier.


	14. Chapter 14

           Eagleheart kept trying to forget about the Mooncave adventure, he really did, but even with the freezing wind piercing through his pelt he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Why had Bluepaw not wanted to talk about it? Not to mention the fact that he and Redpaw- _Redbriar_ were the subjects of some obscure omen. Did he want to tell her about it?

           Eagleheart glanced over at his sister, her silhouette distorted by shadow. He couldn’t make out her expression. If anybody would know what to do about all of this, Redbriar would. She’d figure something out before the sun went down tomorrow night. That is, if he could make it through this seemingly never-ending vigil.

           But something in him pulled away from the notion. Part it was selfishness, he supposed- for once, he desperately wanted to have something for himself that his sister couldn’t control. Another part of him warned of something far deeper. As much as he despised it, a little voice in the back of his mind told him to not trust Redbriar with this prophecy.

           On his other side, Aukletflight’s jaws gaped in a massive yawn. That in turn made Eagleheart yawn, until the unconscious motion got passed down the line like a flea in the apprentices’ den. Softstep shook out his bad leg afterwards, grunting in discomfort.

            It was a long time before dawn began to tint the horizon gray. By the time Eggfur came up to the forest to dismiss them Eagleheart was so stiff his joints popped as he stood. He stretched gratefully and stumbled after Aukletflight down the cliff path.

            “I’ll be sleeping until winter’s over. Wake me up when it’s warmer,” the black-and-white she-cat groaned.

            Falconflight was the first cat to greet them in the cave. He nodded warmly at them, surprising Eagleheart. Just as the newly-made warriors were about to head into the warriors’ den Redbriar stopped him, letting the others go ahead.

            “I’m going on the dawn patrol with Falconflight,” she explained. “Save me a nest.”

            “You were up all night!” Eagleheart spluttered.

            “If I’m going to be deputy I need to show Stormstar how strong I am,” Redbriar said determinedly. She took off after the tall tabby tom, ignoring Eagleheart’s protests.

            “How are we even related,” he sighed to himself as he flopped down next to Aukletflight. She snorted and rested her head on his stomach.

            Softstep was gazing out of the den entrance with a dreamy look on his face. “I dunno, but I love a molly with an attitude.”

            “You’re gross,” Otterscratch complained.

            “Ooh, this is where Eagleheart gives him the _talk,”_ Dustypool piped up.

            Eagleheart just laughed. He wasn’t surprised that the golden tabby had developed quite the crush on Redbriar; he wasn’t exactly subtle. “If you mess up with my sister, she’ll be the one to scatter your entrails all over the forest. I’ll just be helping to cover up the murder.”

            Softstep swallowed nervously and nodded. “That’s fair.”

<> 

            If there was one thing he was extremely good at, it was sleeping. Eagleheart slept through that day, the following night, and only woke up when Brightclaw came to fetch him for the noon patrol.

            It was a day even colder than the previous ones. Clouds covered every bit of the sky in pigeon-gray down and turned the sea nearly black. The air was surprisingly still, like despite the weather there would be no storm. Whenever Eagleheart breathed in it felt like the insides of his nose and chest were becoming coated in ice.

            He, Brightclaw, Fireflower, and Oceansong plowed through the deep snow at the border, chatting merrily all the way. Fireflower, as usual, was in the lead with her head and tail held high. In some respects, the flame-colored queen reminded him of Redbriar. In others, not so much; possibly in the sense that she was a little easier to get along with.

            “Hey, Oceansong, you know that Acornfall totally thought he was the father of my kits last spring?” Fireflower was regaling them with the tale of the tabby’s desperate attempts to woo her and failing miserably. “It didn’t matter that Softstep and Otterscratch looked nothing like him. I like that tom, but goodness, is he oblivious.”

            “Who is their father? I don’t think I ever met him,” Oceansong said thoughtfully.

            “He was a rogue passing by that I convinced to stay for the rest of spring. Oh, and then Rainfeather ended up pregnant with Dustypool, we compared notes, and turned out it had been the same tom! That cat sure got around,” Fireflower explained cheekily.

            Eagleheart didn’t know how she-cats and toms made kittens, and he wasn’t exactly sure he wanted to. The whole thing sounded gross.

            StarClan must have been smiling down on him that day, because Fireflower spotted a squirrel rooting around by a nearby pine and dashed after it instead of finishing her story.

            “Maybe this spring she’ll choose me,” Brightclaw said wistfully.

            “Good luck. You’ll need it. She doesn’t choose just anybody- hey, you smell that?”

            “What?” Brightclaw sniffed the air.

            A little alarmed, Eagleheart did the same. Who would possibly want to be out in the cold on a day like today?

            The hair went up on Brightclaw’s pale tabby neck. “Rogues. Eagleheart, you circle around to the left. Oceansong, take the right.”

            Silently, they obeyed. Eagleheart mentally complained about being born a dark tabby as he crept forward; he stuck out against the snow like a fart in the Mooncave.

            Doing his best to keep to the shadows, he slipped under some bracken and opened his mouth to scent the intruders. Brightclaw had been right, they weren’t TideClan even though their smell was kind of familiar.

            Realization made him stiffen. These rogues were from Thicket’s gang!

            A growl bubbled up from his throat. If these cats thought they could start trouble with his clan again, they were in for one hell of a surprise.

            He was about to get moving again when something rustled behind him. Eagleheart turned with a hiss, but saw nothing. Eyes narrowed, he picked up the scent of one rogue, but didn’t follow it. That trick was older than even Foggywave. Instead, he went the opposite direction. The tabby let the landscape guide him as he made a loose arc around the clearing he had been checking on, and mentally prepared himself for a fight.

            Quiet pawsteps sounded against a tree root barely a fox-length away. Eagleheart crouched, took a breath, and sprung.

            A furious screech rang through the freezing air as he collided with a skinny, long-haired she-cat. She was black as night, with piercing yellow-green eyes, and _not_ happy about being attacked. When Eagleheart tried to pin her to the ground, she bit his leg with amazingly sharp teeth and slithered out from under him. He hissed in pain and pounced on her back end, which effectively kept her immobile. She yowled several insults before he whacked her upside the head to daze her. Great StarClan, this she-cat had _lungs._

            Just as he was about to call for Oceansong and Brightclaw a snarl sounded from behind him. Eagleheart didn’t even have time to duck before a lean shape knocked him clean off the she-cat. He rolled to his feet and spat angrily at his attacker, another black cat with the same piercing yellow-green eyes.

            But that wasn’t important. This black tom was bigger and more solid than his companion, and looked almost at ease with the snowy forest and the massive tabby about to attack him.

            A war cry split the air, and Brightclaw, Fireflower and Oceansong came bounding into the clearing. Brightclaw spat at the two rogues and assumed a battle stance.

            But that turned out to be unnecessary. The rogue tom simply sat down, leveling an almost condescending glare. The female twisted around to lick the shoulder Eagleheart had sunk his claws into.

            “Well, look what the winter has brought to us. A pair of troublemakers from Thicket’s lot,” Brightclaw jeered.

            “A pair of young, half-starved troublemakers, it seems,” Oceansong said mildly. Fireflower’s aggression faded a little as well once she realized the two rogues were young. “What brings you two to TideClan territory? Just don’t give us the ‘We didn’t smell your scent-markers through the snow’. I renewed all of them yesterday evening.”

            Eagleheart’s eyes widened a bit when he noticed just how handsome the male rogue was- sleek, short, flawless fur, a well-muscled body that showed even under his thick black pelt, broad-headed with matching shoulders. It was obvious the tom hadn’t eaten in days, and it showed in the ribs visible in his sides, but his fierce stare was unafraid and calm.

            It was he who spoke. “My sister and I no longer run with Thicket. It is our wish to speak with your leader.”

            Brightclaw growled, but Oceansong flicked his ear with a thick gray tail. “At ease. It is TideClan’s privilege to aid any cat in a winter like this.”

            “They were part of Thicket’s gang. We cannot afford that kind of trouble right now,” the pale tabby argued. Oceansong gave him a hard look.

            Fireflower also took issue with his argument. “You want to get yelled at by Stormstar by driving away two yearlings in need?”

            Brightclaw waved his tail in irritation. “Fine. If you two can prove to us there isn’t any more gang scum waiting beyond the border, Eagleheart here will take you to camp.”

            The she-cat bristled at his words, but the black tom just nodded and let Brightclaw, Oceansong, and Eagleheart escort them to the border. Eagleheart had a hard time not stealing glances at the male rogue.

 _Surely, he must have been descended from lions,_ the tabby thought.

            They walked along the border for some time, with Brightclaw’s mouth open to catch even the faintest scent of another cat.

            “You look like a spider crawled up your nose,” the she-cat snickered. Her voice was raspy and low. Fireflower snorted.

            Brightclaw spat. “You look like you haven’t been clean since your mother gave birth to you. You do have a tongue, right?”

            She snarled. “My fur mats easily, alright?”

            “I can tell.”

           “Spike,” the black tom said sharply.

           The black she-cat called Spike growled, but kept silent after that.

           At last, the three older warriors deemed that the rogues had indeed come alone and told Eagleheart to take them to Stormstar.

           In a good mood knowing that he wouldn’t be out for the rest of the afternoon trudging through stomach-deep snow, Eagleheart set off with the rogue siblings. He wondered if they knew any cool secrets about Thicket’s gang.

           “So, what’s your name? You’re Spike, I know,” Eagleheart addressed the she-cat.

           “Your ears work, congratulations,” Spike said dryly.

           Her brother sighed. “My name is Shadow. You may ignore my sister, she always has a smart remark for everybody and everything.”

           “She should meet my sister, they’d get along great,” Eagleheart suggested. Shadow’s eyes narrowed in faint amusement.

           They walked in silence for another moment before Spike couldn’t contain herself anymore. “Is it true TideClan cats swim in the ocean?”

           “Oh yeah, we swim all the time. Not in the winter, though, that’s just dangerous.”

           “Have you seen anybody drown?”

           Eagleheart felt a bit uneasy. “Ah, no. We’re really good swimmers.”

           “How are you fat even though it’s winter?”

           “I have been blessed with a slow metabolism and a large appetite. A lot of us are fat, anyways. Big is beautiful in TideClan,” Eagleheart said proudly.

           Spike looked confused. “How do you fight if you’re overweight?”

           “Sit on the enemy.”

           The black she-cat thought that was hilarious. Eagleheart decided he liked this fireball of a rogue. Shadow was also nice, if not quiet and very reserved. He wondered what part they played in Thicket’s gang.

           The smell of the ocean became stronger, and at last they emerged from the forest. Even Shadow’s eyes widened as the rogues took in the view of the ocean stretching out before them. The constant thunder of waves on rock had long since became insignificant to Eagleheart, but he could tell they were overwhelmed by the noise and chill.

           “It’s better at camp. There’s a big dry cave you’ll like,” Eagleheart promised. “Alright, now follow that trail on down. Watch your step.”

           Very cautiously, the rogues tip-toed down the icy path to camp. When Spike skidded on a particularly icy part, she was able to almost immediately stop herself by unsheathing four sets of freakishly long, thorn-sharp claws and digging right into the frozen rock. He presumed that was how she got her name.

           When they arrived at the clearing in front of the cave Eagleheart almost slid straight into Stormstar, who laughed at his squeaked apology and righted him effortlessly. “Eagleheart! You looked like you crossed the whole forest in one go.”

           “Feels like it with all this snow,” he grunted. “But I have a pair of cats who want to speak with you.”

           Stormstar looked over him to see Shadow and Spike sitting stiffly by a boulder. Ice was beginning to form on their ears and whiskers.

           “Where did you find these two?” Stormstar asked curiously as she padded over to them, with Eagleheart trailing after her. Spike swallowed nervously at the huge she-cat, probably figuring out one swipe of Stormstar’s enormous paws could send her flying right off the cliff.

           “They were on clan territory, but when confronted they said they wanted to speak with you about something. They also… used to be in Thicket’s gang.” Eagleheart decided to not tell her about him getting into a fight with the siblings, if not because Stormstar might send them away if she knew how badly his leg hurt from Spike’s fangs on top of them formerly being part of the enemy group.

           “What are your names?” Stormstar demanded calmly.

           “I am Shadow, and this is my sister, Spike. We ask for your mercy and a den to sleep in, as we face great difficulty in facing this winter by ourselves,” Shadow began.

           “You wish to join TideClan?” Stormstar asked, one brow raised.

           “Yes, Stormstar. Thicket’s delusions of power are beginning to split his colony, and there is no longer any purpose in following him. A few others have left already.”

           “Just like that? It’s hard to believe that cats would leave a system that could prove to be their means of survival in this season.” The clan leader’s amber gaze sharpened.

           “Thicket is a strong leader,” Spike said. “He knows how to speak, how to persuade people that his goals are worth their time and effort. But we can no longer put up with his dream of ruling the whole forest. It’s insanity.”

           Stormstar nodded. “I’m glad some of his followers are beginning to see that. But you must understand that if you join TideClan, you will be the objects of suspicion for several moons. You will have to work twice as hard to make your way as a warrior. The troubles Thicket has given us in the past will not be forgotten so quickly.”

           The rogue siblings looked at each other, back to the clan leader, and nodded.

           “We understand,” Shadow said quietly.

           Stormstar looked pleased. “Good. How old are you both?”

           “Fifteen moons.” Spike shook the ice from her hackles.

           “Then you will be named warriors this evening,” the clan leader decided. “Eagleheart, take these two to the warriors’ den and get them food. Until we can trust them completely I’d like you to keep an eye on them.”

           Eagleheart didn’t want to play kit-sitter, he wanted to hang out with his friends and do warrior stuff! But he decided if he brought these rogues here, he should be the one to make sure they didn’t kill anybody. He bowed to Stormstar and led Shadow and Spike into the cave.

           Spike seemed to pick up on his thoughts. “You bring the bat into the den, you make sure nobody gets bit!”

           Eagleheart rolled his eyes as she cackled. “Fair enough… that you compare yourself to a bat. Scrawny, messy fur, kind of weird-looking…”

           The black she-cat squawked and whacked his shoulder. “I almost took a paw off earlier, and I might do it again!”

           Shadow looked like he wanted to kick the both of them into the ocean.

           Unfortunately, the warriors’ den was far from empty, since there was enough prey to last the clan the next couple of days and nobody wanted to be out in the cold. When Shadow and Spike slipped in behind Eagleheart they were greeted with five familiar heads popping up from the messy cuddle pile that had accumulated at the far end of the den. In another pile, the senior warriors glared crankily at the newcomers, probably already having heard the news from Sunmist. Everybody and their kit knew Sunmist had her nose in everybody’s business no matter what rank you held in the clan.

           Redbriar, as Eagleheart suspected, looked absolutely worn out by going on the dawn patrol right after her night-long vigil.

           “What did we learn?” he asked her dryly.

           “Shut up.” She buried her face in Dustypool’s mane and fell back asleep.

           “Everybody else that is somewhat conscious, these two are Shadow and Spike. Shadow and Spike, meet Dustypool, Softstep, Otterscratch, and Aukletflight. Redbriar is the unconscious one and my sister,” Eagleheart explained.

           “Greetings,” Shadow lowered his head, looking a bit overwhelmed by all of the new names and faces. Spike yawned and collapsed next to Redbriar, falling asleep right away.

           Aukletflight didn’t seem to mind the two one bit- or at least, Shadow. She gave the former rogue a very appreciative once-over as he settled down with them. “Welcome to TideClan. Decided to ditch colony life and come hang out with the cool cats? Smart choice.”

           “I hope,” Shadow muttered, staring at Aukletflight like she was a hungry fox. The black-and-white she-cat purred deep in her chest before going back to grooming herself.

           “I’ll get you something to eat,” Eagleheart offered apologetically, giving Aukletflight a look. “Don’t mind Aukletflight. She’ll crouch against anything with a heartbeat.”

          Aukletflight purred louder, not guilty in the slightest.

          Eagleheart went to grab a rabbit for Shadow. When he got back, Aukletflight was blessedly leaving the handsome rogue alone. When he saw the tabby approaching with prey his yellow-green eyes widened in eagerness, even though he was definitely too proud to say anything other than a quick thank-you once the animal was dropped at his paws. Spike’s sense of smell must be something, he noticed as she bolted out of a dead sleep to wolf down the rabbit with her brother.

          “I don’t care what I have to do to make TideClan trust me, just as long as I never have to go hungry like I did out there,” Spike said through a mouthful of meat.

          “You two will be great warriors,” Eagleheart assured her.

          Spike and Shadow looked at each other nervously, but they both flicked their tails in acknowledgement. Once they polished the rabbit down to the bone they all but free-fell into a dead sleep.

          Eagleheart remembered his first night in TideClan- injured, weak, scared, having nobody but his littermate. Before he slept as well, he promised himself these two wouldn’t have any less of a hard time making their new home here.

 


	15. Chapter 15

            Eagleheart was woken by Redbriar biting his ear. “Stormstar’s calling a clan meeting for the rogues. I hope you made the right choice by bringing them here.”

            “Of course I did!” he scoffed, licking a wet spot on his paw from the ice melting between his toes and ignoring his stinging ear. “They’ll do fine.”

            The torbie shrugged and led the way out of the cave. The weather hadn’t gotten any better since Eagleheart had been on patrol; it didn’t take Foggywave’s sense of smell to pick up on the incoming blizzard. The sea churned almost restlessly beneath the darkening clouds.

            Stormstar’s dark fur blended in almost perfectly with the sky when Eagleheart spotted her up on the speaking rock. The deputy Rainfeather sat beside her. Below her, given a wide berth by the rest of the clan, were Shadow and Spike. Their fur was had been groomed, with Spike’s unruly pelt looking much nicer than when he had fought her in the forest. Shadow sat regally beside his sister, black tail curled neatly over his paws. He didn’t seem to mind the suspicious glares they were getting, something that impressed Eagleheart. Even though he had received nothing but the warmest welcome into TideClan he had nearly pissed himself in fright in front of everyone.

            “Cats of TideClan,” Stormstar began once everybody had settled down. “Today Fireflower’s patrol chanced upon two rogues who wish to join our ranks. They have traveled a long way and shown impressive perseverance in the face of winter’s hardships. I would like to extend an invitation to the both of them to become warriors.”

            “Before we go any further, Stormstar, why don’t you tell everybody where they came from?” Stone-eye yowled from the center of the crowd.

            A flicker of unease crossed Stormstar’s amber eyes. “I suppose I should. Many of you might have already heard the news, and yes, they were once members of Thicket’s gang.”

            Angry growls swept across the clan. Eagleheart swallowed nervously.

            The clan leader lashed her tail. “I will not let these young cats be judged for the colony they were born into. They made the decision to leave, and have also given us important information about the gang- the colony is weak, Thicket’s leadership is faltering, and most importantly, cats are already defecting.”

            “How do we know they’re not lying?” Blossompelt croaked from the group of elders by Stoneeye. The ancient tortoiseshell didn’t look happy at all.

            Spike turned and hissed at the old she-cat. “We wouldn’t have left if Thicket wasn’t becoming even more of an idiot! Oh, yeah, we risk starvation and freezing to death because it’s _fun,_ you fossilized fish turd!”

            Blossompelt surged to her feet like a cat a quarter of her age and spat. “You’d best watch your tongue, kit. I may be old, but I bet I could still rip it out of your skull!”

            “Ooh, yikes,” Dustypool squeaked.

            _“Enough,”_ Stormstar hissed. “Spike and Shadow have spoken the truth, and we need more cats who are better at moving through thick brush in the forest now that the sea has become too cold to fish in. Any more complaints?”

            It was Oceansong who spoke up next. “Not that I’m against letting these two join us, but I think many of us would feel much better if they were assigned someone to keep an eye on them until they’ve proven their loyalty.”

            “I agree with Oceansong!” Mousefoot called. Several other warriors muttered approval of the blue tom’s proposition. Rainfeather leaned over to Stormstar and spoke in her ear, too quietly for Eagleheart to make out.

            At last, Stormstar dipped her head in agreement. “A good compromise, Oceansong. I already asked Eagleheart to watch them until the clan meeting, so until I say otherwise he will continue to do so.”

            Eagleheart bowed stiffly, doing his best to make sure nobody saw the irritation on his face. _Become a warrior, kit-sit two cats who are several moons older than me. Yay._

            A few cats grumbled in sympathy. Fireflower patted his shoulder.

            Stormstar sat up straighter, satisfied. “Excellent. Now we may turn to a happier duty. Spike, step forward.”

            The skinny she-cat jumped to her paws, eagerness written all over her face.

            “From this day forward, you will be known as Spikeclaw. Serve your new clan well, and may your future be bright,” Stormstar announced.

            Spikeclaw grinned, looking extremely pleased with her new name. She flexed her wickedly sharp talons and pranced over to join Eagleheart. He bumped her shoulder and called her name, glaring at the warriors behind them until they joined in.

            Once the ruckus died down, Stormstar signaled for Shadow to stand before her. He blinked in gratitude at the clan leader. The black-and-silver she-cat smiled.

            “Shadow, from this day forward, you will be known as Shadowstep. Keep courage, for even the longest winters bring forth new opportunities,” Stormstar told him.

            _“Yeah,_ Shadowstep!” Spikeclaw yowled. Eagleheart had to lean away, lest her earsplitting voice rob him of his hearing. The clan called his name a little more enthusiastically, but if Spikeclaw noticed, she didn’t seem to care. She knocked her forehead against her brother’s when he joined them, purring loud enough to nearly drown out Stormstar bringing the clan meeting to a close.

            “Good names,” Redbriar said approvingly, even though she eyed the former rogues a little distastefully. He gave her a look before catching a familiar scent that made his ears prick.

            Bluepaw stepped toward him, looking uncomfortable in the severe chill but happy to see Eagleheart. “A little birdie told me we had some newcomers.”

            Spikeclaw snorted. “I didn’t think TideClan let twigs join up.”

            The medicine cat apprentice flicked his tail dismissively. “No, but it seems Stormstar mistakenly allowed in a raccoon with the foaming sickness.”

            Yellow-green eyes narrowed to bright slits, but Eagleheart got in her face. “I may have helped you find a place here, but if you insult Bluepaw again your new home may end up being the ocean floor.”

            Aukletflight cackled as Spikeclaw backed right up, her tail bushed. Shadowstep rolled his eyes and began licking the ice from his toe pads.

            Eagleheart turned to Bluepaw and beamed. The Siamese flicked his tail over Eagleheart’s back, and together they headed back into the cave. The tabby nabbed a squirrel for them to share and went in the warriors’ den. Shadowpelt and Spikeclaw trailed after them.

            The dark tabby blinked in surprise as Bluepaw immediately snuggled into his side. The medicine cat met his gaze and blinked innocently. “What? I’m cold.”

            “I can tell,” Eagleheart snorted. He leaned down to clean the snow off Bluepaw’s ear. “How’s medicine cat stuff?”

            Bluepaw seemed to catch the underlying meaning of his words. He flicked an ear, irritation flickering briefly in his eyes. “Oh, you know. Stuff.”

            “A medicine whatnow?” Spikeclaw shoved her way into the growing kitty pile and rested her chin on Eagleheart’s back. “You clan cats are so weird.”

            “I think the word you’re looking for is _sophisticated,”_ Bluepaw said dryly. “My job is to treat cats with injuries and sicknesses and commune with StarClan.”

            Spikeclaw blinked. “Oh, you’re a doctor. And what is StarClan?”

            “The spirits of TideClan cats that came before us.”

            The black she-cat snorted in disbelief, brows furrowing. “You’re joking, right? There’s no such thing as ghosts.”

            “Oh, but there is,” Bluepaw corrected. Dustypool, who was lying next to him, nodded severely. The other newly-made warriors gave each other knowing glances.

            Spikeclaw side-eyed Eagleheart. “You’re hearing this, right?”

            “I didn’t believe it at first, either,” Eagleheart told her. “It’s a strange concept, but StarClan is real. You’ll see for yourself someday.”

            “Alright. I trust what _you_ have to say.” Spikeclaw shrugged before kicking back and knocking out almost immediately. How she fell asleep at the blink of an eye like that, Eagleheart had no clue, but it sure was impressive.

            Bluepaw threw her a sour look before curling up in a ball. Soon enough, his breathing evened out as he fell asleep. Nearby, Aukletflight, Softstep, and Redbriar did the name. Dustypool’s soft snores were muffled in Redbriar’s stomach fur.

            A flash of yellow-green made Eagleheart look up. Shadowstep was still awake, pale eyes focused on empty space and black fur making him blend in almost perfectly with the dark stone behind him. The handsome tom hadn’t joined in on their conversation.

            “You okay?” Eagleheart asked, even though he already knew the answer.

            Shadowstep’s ear twitched, and he didn’t look at the tabby. “Not really, when I worry about the cats I share a den with.”

            Eagleheart’s hackles pricked in irritation when he recognized Stone-eye and the other senior warriors giving the former rogue suspicious glares. He met Sunmist’s gaze and flattened his ears. The golden queen rolled her eyes at him, but then rolled over to go to sleep.

            “This weather has everybody cranky,” Eagleheart told him. “Once everybody sees you working for the clan they’ll loosen up. I’ll take you and Spikeclaw on patrol tomorrow.”

            At last, Shadowstep seemed to relax. He murmured a quiet thank-you before finally closing his eyes. Outside, the sun was already beginning to dip below the horizon, bleeding all shades of orange and red behind the haze of clouds.

            Eagleheart curled up tighter around Bluepaw. Maybe the medicine cat would tell him what was troubling him once they’ve all gotten a good night’s rest.

<> 

            Nightstar was waiting for him at the beach when Eagleheart began to dream. The tabby groaned in annoyance once he spotted the familiar silhouette of the massive black tom. Couldn’t he get _one_ good night’s sleep without the old clan leader riding his tail?

            “I can hear you bitching back there!” Nightstar called up from the shore.

            Eagleheart stomped down to him, knowing he was acting like a kit but not bothering to care. “Good evening, Nightstar. What business?”

            “The fact that you’re not minding yours. Bluepaw has enough to stress about without you nagging him every five pawsteps.”

            “It _is_ my business! Bluepaw’s my friend!”

            Nightstar looked back at him and rolled his eyes. “Whatever _business_ a medicine cat conducts with StarClan is between them and the clan leader. As in, Bluepaw is under no obligation to tell you jack shit, but he can and will tell Stormstar. You know, my daughter, the _leader_ of TideClan.”

            Eagleheart wanted to shove a wad of seaweed into the old tom’s muzzle. “I know, I _know._ Bluepaw’s the future sole medicine cat, he’s the most important person in the clan besides Stormstar, the bond between StarClan and the living world- “

            “You can shut up now. What I’m saying is that Bluepaw’s path will be long and difficult, something which he knows and would like your support instead of your incessant nitpicking.” Nightstar licked sand from between his toes while Eagleheart spluttered angrily.

            “I don’t _nitpick,”_ he muttered.

            “Denial, that’s always the first step. You’re turning into your sister,” Nightstar sniffed.

            Eagleheart’s hackles spiked. There was no way he could ever be as annoying as Redbriar could be at times. “No I’m… _ugh._ Fine. I’ll be there for Bluepaw.”

            “Good. Your fates are forever intertwined, Eagleheart. Try to not do anything that might cut them apart.” Nightstar’s brows raised, like he knew something amusing the younger cat didn’t. Tail swishing, Eagleheart stared warily at him, wondering what other secrets the former clan leader was hiding from him.

            Just before he turned away from him to head back up the beach, Nightstar suddenly met his gaze. “Be careful about who you trust. Winter is good for bringing a clan together in harder times, but it will not last forever.”

            Eagleheart opened his mouth, about to ask him if he meant Shadowstep and Spikeclaw, but then he fell from the dream into an even deeper sleep.

<> 

            As he promised, Eagleheart took the rogue siblings on patrol the following morning.

            “I can’t believe you people do this every damn morning,” Spikeclaw groaned as she bounded after the dark tabby. Snow that got kicked up in their running settled on her black fur, reminding Eagleheart of stars in the night sky.

            “You’ll get used to it,” he promised. Besides him, Shadowstep trotted with a grace Eagleheart envied, his long legs carrying him through the snow without much difficulty. The black tom seemed to be enjoying himself, even running ahead at times to check something out with an enthusiasm that looked to be rare for him.

            At one point Eagleheart broke off from them to chase a squirrel. He almost didn’t get it, which was a little embarrassing considering the fact he wasn’t tired or injured, but he finally got the dodgy animal by chasing it up a tree and slapping its head into the bark.

            When he returned to Shadowstep and Spikeclaw, the two black warriors both looked like they were considering jumping him there and then for the squirrel. Eagleheart felt a bit uneasy at their blatant greed before telling himself to calm down. They had been born rogues; it wasn’t like they had known anything else other than the rough life of a colony cat before they joined TideClan.

            “Come share this with me before you decide I look delicious, too,” Eagleheart snorted as Spikeclaw began to drool.

            “You know, from a certain angle, you _do_ look like a squirrel,” she told him through a mouthful of fur and meat. “A really big, fat squirrel.”

            “Redbriar once told me she wondered why Stormstar hadn’t given me the name Squirrelpaw when we first came here,” Eagleheart recalled amusedly.

            Shadowstep blinked thoughtfully. “Why did you and your sister join TideClan?”

            Eagleheart felt a bit despondent as he remembered his old twoleg. “My twoleg was taking us back from a show one night and instead of trying to control the monster, he was paying attention to one of those little glow-rectangle things most twolegs have. He crashed into a ditch and died, and Redbriar and I managed to get free and make our way to the coast. Then I almost drowned in the ocean and Stormstar pulled me out.”

            “A… show?” Spikeclaw asked, confused.

            “Yeah, Redbriar and I were show cats. Twolegs take their cats to this big gathering place with some other twolegs, and then they look at us and pet us and give us treats. We’re purebred Maine Coons,” Eagleheart explained with a touch of pride.

            “Oh. Sucks about your twoleg, though. He must have been nice if he took you guys to a place where you could meet other cats and get treats,” Spikeclaw told him.

            “He was nice.” Eagleheart chewed on a bit of liver before swallowing it. For a few moments, the three of them sat in comfortable silence. In the distance, a jay called, joined by several others. Some hawk was probably getting their rear end handed to them.

            “Is it true you can talk to other animals?” Shadowstep asked unexpectedly. Beside him, Spikeclaw’s tufted ears pricked in interest. “We heard Sunmist and Blossompelt talking about it last night.”

            “Uh… yeah. I can understand them, too.”

            “What if you’re chasing a mouse or something and you have it pinned down and then it just starts talking to you?” Spikeclaw cackled. Her brother cuffed her upside the head.

            “I dunno,” Eagleheart grumbled. “I try not to think about it too much. Let’s keep going.”

            They reached the halfway point when the sun was at the highest it was going to get. Eagleheart wished it would stay more during the winter. Did it know how much everything missed it when the world was so cold and lifeless?

            Spikeclaw was sniffing around a dead pine when she leapt back and spat. “Fox! Ugh, one of those got Nimsy last summer.”

            Eagleheart trotted over, alarmed, but once he smelled the familiar rusty scent at the base of the pine he relaxed. “Oh, that’s the she-fox I met the other day. I convinced her to leave clan territory, and then I helped her find a new den.”

            The rogue siblings stared at him.

            “Sweet rat crap,” Spikeclaw finally said. “You’re crazy.”

            “Yeah.”

            Shadowstep didn’t say anything, but his pale eyes wandered beyond the borders. Eagleheart couldn’t tell what the other tom was thinking.

            “Can we go already? I can’t feel my toes,” Spikeclaw groaned, hopping forward like a particularly skinny black rabbit.

            “… Yeah. Let’s go.” Eagleheart took the lead again and began the slow curve back around the cliff.

<> 

            Once they got back to camp, he was surprised with two kits jumping all over the clearing like they were practicing to become birds. For the second time that day, Stormstar was up on the speaking rock, except she looked to be in a much better mood.

            He realized that they were about to be apprenticed; they had to be at least six moons old by now. At the front of the gathering crowd, Mousefoot gazed at them with a look of utter adoration on her face.

            Stormstar nodded at him from the rock. “This evening we greet two new apprentices into our clan. I’m sure the elders will appreciate having a new batch of youngsters to make their nests and bring them fresh-kill.”

            The elders laughed from their usual place from beside the speaking rock. Even Stoneeye seemed to be in a great mood.

            The little she-cat of the pair stepped forward, her head held high in the light of the rising moon. She was black all over, with white paws, a matching tail tip, and a snowy jagged streak running up her face. Eagleheart guessed that Boulderfoot was the father of the pair.

            “From this day forward, until she has earned her warrior name, this apprentice will be called Lightningpaw,” Stormstar declared. “Acornfall, you’ve waited long enough to become a mentor. You will teach Lightningpaw the ways of our clan.”

            The tabby leapt to his feet, green eyes blazing in delight. He padded up to the black she-kit and touched his nose to hers.

            “And for her brother,” Stormstar nodded to a handsome little tabby. “He will be known as Darkpaw. Fireflower, you will mentor him.”

            The flame-colored queen grinned from ear to ear and padded over to Darkpaw. Eyes wide with nervousness and awe, the young tom touched his nose to Fireflower’s. Behind her, Mousefoot nodded in approval.

            “I’d like to be a mentor someday,” Shadowstep murmured thoughtfully.

            Eagleheart nodded in agreement.

            Chattering merrily, the clan dissipated to go about their evenings. Stormstar bounded down from the speaking rock. Rainfeather followed her down to the clearing.

            “Stormstar!” Eagleheart trotted over to her. “I took Shadowstep and Spikeclaw on patrol today. They did great.”

            “Good. Tomorrow you two can hunt for the clan. Remember, clan law says that elders eat first.” The massive she-cat nodded to the rogue siblings.

            “Why? They didn’t do any of the hunting,” Spikeclaw snorted.

            Redbriar and Rainfeather gave her a hard look, but Stormstar didn’t seem to be offended. “I know how it must seem to newcomers, but when we give the elders the first pick of the catch, it’s our way of thanking them for their many moons of service to their clan. Think about the countless winters you will try and live through- that is, _if_ you’re strong enough to survive this one.”

            The other molly stepped back. “Oh. Okay.”

            Redbriar sniffed at her and strutted back into the cave. Eagleheart rolled his eyes at his sister’s antics and followed her back into the cave, where she struck up a conversation with Eggfur about something. Shadowstep and Spikeclaw passed them and went into the warrior’s den to share a squirrel.

            The moment they did Redbriar turned and signaled for him to come over.

            He trotted up to her, curious.

            The torbie flicked her bushy tail. “I was just talking to Eggfur about the rogues. We have a theory.”

            Eagleheart’s brows furrowed. “A theory about what?”

            “Eggfur’s got the best sense of smell in the clan besides Foggywave and Thistlefeather. Tell him what you’ve got.” Redbriar sat down and began washing a paw.

            The older white warrior looked down at him, green eyes cold. “Remember those twin black she-cats we fought at the battle in the Twoleg colony? One of them was Thicket’s mate. It’s a bit eerie how much Shadowstep and Spikeclaw look like them. _Especially_ Shadowstep.”

            Eagleheart blinked. “So?”

            His sister flattened her ears, exasperation coming off her in thick waves. “And he smells just like Thicket. He and Spikeclaw are his _kits.”_

            The tabby stared at her. “You’re going off the fact that they’re both black cats and they smell like Thicket? They were rogues. They all smell like Thicket; he’s the head of the colony.”

            Redbriar smacked a paw to her face. “Eagleheart. If they are Thicket’s kits, then we could be in big trouble. What if he comes looking for them? In a colony like his, it’s almost always the children of the leader that succeed him or her. Or Shadowstep and Spikeclaw could decide that being the leaders of a colony is a much better life than as warriors in TideClan.”

            “Let’s not borrow trouble, okay? Shadowstep and Spikeclaw are good cats. Once they get used to clan life they’ll be great warriors.” Eagleheart shook his head. He was a little annoyed at his sister for fussing over a colony’s leader that was probably just scrambling to keep his life together. “Besides, we’ve got winter to worry about.”

            “Hmph.” Redbriar padded past him, her tail high in the air like she was already a senior warrior. The shadows swallowed her as she slipped into the warriors’ den to get some sleep.

            “Bossy furball,” Eagleheart grumbled.

            Eggfur chuckled. “She’s got the attitude of a clan leader. It would do you some good to be more assertive.”

            “You mean paranoid?” the tabby countered.

            The white warrior gave him a look. “You have a gentle soul, Eagleheart. But I hope that it will be sooner rather than later that you discover that not every cat can be trusted.”

            _I know that!_ The dark tabby wanted to smack Eggfur upside the head. But trusting people wasn’t something that should happen only when StarClan themselves came down to give you a sign. But Eggfur was already brushing past him into the den.

            Eagleheart just hoped warmer weather would come quickly. Doing nothing except going on patrol and sleeping was beginning to make him crazy, and it felt like the only other cats he talked to were the other warriors. He wanted to hang out with Bluepaw.

            The dark medicine den echoed softly with Petrelswoop’s snores, and Eagleheart could scent the faint taste of herbs. Bluepaw smelled kind of like that, but he also smelled like starlight, as if the spirits he communed with had left a permanent mark on him. To the tabby, it was even better than the smell of the pine forest in Greenleaf.

            Then he realized he had been standing around like a moron, staring dazedly at the medicine den. He shook himself out with a huff. The cold air was blowing weird thoughts into his head like snowflakes.

            _Spring, come soon. I think I’m going to lose my mind._

           


	16. Chapter 16

            The next few days came and went, settling TideClan back into routine. Eagleheart continued to keep a close eye on Shadowstep and Spikeclaw, but the rogue siblings had not yet caused any trouble outside of Spikeclaw’s sharp tongue. The coast got even colder, something he didn’t even think was possible until he saw a patrol come back with chunks of ice hanging off their fur and whiskers.

            He was just leaving the warriors’ den on the fourth day after the rogue siblings when Bluepaw came galloping up to him, large ears drooping from exhaustion. “We lost Jumpingbird last night.”

            “What?” Eagleheart felt like something was squeezing inside of his chest. He hadn’t even known the old tabby had been sick. “Oh, Bluepaw, I’m sorry.”

            “It… it was his time. He was only a little younger than Blossompelt, and she’s been around since these cliffs were formed, probably.” The Siamese gave a weak smile. Eagleheart rubbed his cheek against the smaller tom’s, wishing he could give the medicine cat his own strength. Jumpingbird wasn’t going to be the only cat TideClan would lose this winter.

            “I need a favor from you. If you don’t have patrol today, could you come with me to the twoleg colony? We’re almost out of ginger, and that doesn’t exactly grow around here.” Bluepaw looked up at him with those big sea-ice eyes.

            “Sure! Yeah, that’s no problem!” Eagleheart almost forgot the chill as excitement made his tail flip up in the air and lightness fill his chest. An _entire_ day with Bluepaw? StarClan had blessed him this fine morning.

            Bluepaw smiled and slipped by him, brushing across his shoulder as he did so. “You might want to tell Stormstar before she decides you’re on hunting patrol until sundown.”

            “Oh yeah!” Eagleheart darted back into the cave and squeezed into the tunnel that led up from the main cavern. He burst into Stormstar’s den. “StormstarI’mgoingwithBluepawtothetwolegcolonytogetherbs! Bye!”

            The black-and-silver she-cat jolted awake with a loud snort, fur sticking up everywhere. _“StarClan,_ what? Oh, hello Eagleheart.”

            “I’m going with Bluepaw to the twoleg colony to help him gather herbs,” Eagleheart repeated, hopping from paw to paw.

            “Alright. Don’t worry about Spikeclaw and Shadowstep, I’ll get Aukletflight to watch them,” Stormstar rasped, her voice low and scratchy. She rolled over and immediately went back to sleep.

            Eagleheart barreled back out and almost ran over Bluepaw. Together, the two toms made the quick hike to the top of the cliff and headed into the forest.

            Traveling through the snow was much more fun without a blizzard, Eagleheart decided. The sun shone brightly through thin scattered clouds that were as white as the snow below. A gentle breeze kicked up clouds of the tiny crystals, glittering in the light.

            “Sparrow!” Leaping into the air like he had wings of his own, Bluepaw snagged the little bird in his claws, transferred it to his mouth, and landed neatly on all fours.

            “Wow,” Eagleheart sighed, his mind unhelpfully replaying the images of tawny and dark brown fur shining gold against the dappled shadows of the forest.

            “Best part of being a medicine cat: impressing warriors by doing things most warriors don’t think a medicine cat would be able to do well,” Bluepaw purred.

            “The best part?” Eagleheart said coyly.

            “Okay, the best part is taking care of other people. Don’t tell anybody I said that, that sounds much too sappy.”

            “Yes, O Mighty and Wise Healer. Your wish is my command.” Eagleheart shoved his face into the snow and stuck his butt in the air in the most ridiculous bow he could think of. Bluepaw’s giggles made his ears heat up.

            They made good time in crossing from TideClan territory into the rest of the seemingly unending forest. If they kept up the pace, they could probably make it to the twoleg colony by the time the sun went down.

            “How big do you think the world is?” Eagleheart wondered.

            Bluepaw considered that, tilting his head. “The point just before infinity.”

            “What?”

            “Think of a world that never ends, and then just before that is how big it is.”

            “Whoa.” Eagleheart decided no better words existed to describe how huge their reality was, if only because Bluepaw had said it. “I think you’re right.”

            “How big do you think the sky is?” Bluepaw asked him.

            “Even bigger than infinity,” Eagleheart theorized.

            “How could something be bigger than infinity?”      

            “I don’t think there’s a word that describes everything that ever existed and exists and will exist,” the tabby explained.

            “By StarClan, I think you’re right.”

            The pair continued in silence for a while, just enjoying the other’s company. Whatever had Bluepaw so distant the last few days seemed to be no longer a cause for concern. Eagleheart was thankful for it, even though he was still worried about what might have spooked the confident and sassy medicine cat.

            He leaned over to nibble the other tom’s ear, making him squeak. Bluepaw retaliated by chasing him through the woods, ordering him to slow down so he could repay the favor.

            “No way! You’re gonna bite my ear off!” Eagleheart shrieked. He powered through a snow drift and launched himself down the rise. The plump tabby ended up rolling to a stop, snorting in glee. Bluepaw cackled as he leapt overhead, gaining the lead in their unstated but official race.

            Eagleheart took off after him. The little Siamese was the fastest cat in TideClan in the summer, when there was no snow to slow him down, but now he was at a disadvantage even with his long legs. Eagleheart managed to catch up to Bluepaw, making faces at the other tom to try and distract him. Yelling, Bluepaw surged ahead in an impressive display of long bounds, looking very much like a hare as he did so. But jumping costed energy, and so Eagleheart began to gain on him again.

            They raced through brush and over logs and fallen branches. Breaths billowed out in little clouds of steam that were quickly left behind in the toms’ wake. Whooping, Eagleheart pulled ahead and poured on the speed. Behind him, Bluepaw swore and swatted at his tail mid-stride, which unfortunately for him, did not do a whole lot.

            The trees began to thin, and Eagleheart tasted the change in air texture and scent. They were almost there! He leapt over a tree root jutting up from the snow and finally spotted the fence that separated the wild from the twoleg colony.

            A dozen more strides… half a dozen… three, two, one!

            “Yeaaahhh!” Eagleheart yowled and smacked a paw against the fence just a few breaths before Bluepaw did. Gasping for breath, they both sat down heavily.

            “Good race,” Eagleheart wheezed.

            “Rematch! When Greenleaf comes! You only won because I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night,” Bluepaw got out, jabbing a paw at the tabby’s muzzle. The warrior stuck his tongue out at him and hauled himself to all fours before stretching. He was going to be feeling that race all over by tomorrow morning.

            Bluepaw focused on something past him. Eagleheart turned to look through the fence, but he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

            “What is it?”

            “Smell.” The medicine cat opened his mouth to draw in the frigid air. Confused, Eagleheart did the same, but all he scented was the faint gritty taste of the twoleg colony and the fresher scents of the forest behind them.

            “I don’t smell anything,” the tabby meowed.

            “Exactly. When we came here last time the rogues had scent markers all over the place, even here by the fence. They had to have left.” Bluepaw slipped under the hard, shiny links of the barrier and squeezed out into the other side.

            The curled ends of the links snagged Eagleheart’s thick fur as he followed, making him grunt in discomfort. “They couldn’t have gone any further into the colony; it’s too dangerous with twolegs and their monsters. Thicket would risk losing a lot of cats.”

            “I dunno. Those colony cats are pretty good in places like these,” Bluepaw muttered as he trotted alongside a big twoleg structure. “If Thicket is as desperate as Shadowstep and Spikeclaw say he is, he might have decided to take the chance.”

            Eagleheart had a hard time believing Thicket’s gang would do something so reckless as to head into a crowded cesspool of danger. But where else would they have gone?

            As they passed a collection of smaller twoleg houses, one of the doors opened to let out a large golden dog. It sniffed alongside the shrub in their little territory out front before laying a scent marker on one half-dead bush. Then it turned and saw them.

            Barking loudly, it broke into a sprint and charged Eagleheart and Bluepaw.

            Bluepaw yowled in terror and bolted up a nearby pine tree.

            “Wait, Bluepaw! The big golden ones are friendly,” Eagleheart insisted. He stood his ground as the massive creature came barreling over to him. Every instinct in him yelled for him to run as fast as he could, but he knew that wouldn’t help him at all.

            “What do you mean they’re friendly _Eagleheartgetoutofthere!”_

            But the dog was already on him. Eagleheart hissed as a big wet snout nosed him hard enough to knock him over. He braced himself for the sensation of sharp teeth biting into his flesh, and was pleasantly surprised when he instead received the most enthusiastic sniff-down he was pretty sure any cat had gotten, ever. The dog flinched away when he batted warily at its face but went back to investigating his rear end when it realized Eagleheart didn’t have his claws unsheathed.

            “Hello,” Eagleheart squeaked.

            “Did not run away!” the dog yelped joyfully. Behind it, a feathered tail whipped back and forth like a giant songbird’s wings. “Hello, cat!”

            “I-Is this your territory?” he stammered. “We’re just looking for some ginger. Do you know where we can find some?”

            The dog tilted its- _his_ head. He was a male. “Ginger? Have a friend named Ginger. Ginger is nice.”

            “Uh, never mind. Sorry for bothering you.”

            “Not bothering at all! Been inside all day. Humans just got home.” The dog lolled his tongue out, breath coming out in hot clouds of steam. “Cat knows how to get to his home?”

            “Yes. We’re just visiting. Bluepaw, come say hello!” Eagleheart called up the tree.

            A triangular head poked down from the branches. “You can talk to it?”

            “Yeah I can! He’s friendly,” Eagleheart told him.

            The little medicine cat slipped down from his hiding place. “If I die because you can’t stop making friends with everything that breathes, I’ll haunt your fat ass from StarClan.”

 _“Another_ cat!” The dog chased his tail in celebration. “Parker loves cats!”

            “That’s your name? Parker?” Eagleheart asked.

            “Yes! Good name. Was given by humans.”

 _Humans?_ Eagleheart realized Parker was talking about the twolegs. They all seemed to love dogs, for reasons yet unknown to the tabby. Dogs were friendly to them, but they were _way_ too strong for their own good and much too loud.

            “Let’s go, Eagleheart, we gotta get the ginger,” Bluepaw groaned, shoving against the bigger tom.

            “Okay, okay. Bye, Parker,” Eagleheart told the dog.

            “Cat has to go? Bye bye, cats! Good luck!” Parker gave Eagleheart a sloppy lick up his cheek before trotting back across the narrow monster path. He vanished around the back of the twoleg house and was gone.

            Bluepaw tugged on Eagleheart’s tail with thorn-sharp teeth. “Let’s go, let’s go, I am not talking to any more dogs!”

            “Keep your fur on, I’m coming.”

           They continued walking until they found some ginger root growing in a larger twoleg garden, to which Bluepaw rolled into some leaves. Eagleheart busied himself with licking his paws to get the warmth back into them.

            “Be careful about which animals you talk to. You’ve been pretty lucky so far,” Bluepaw told him as he yanked out another ginger root.

            “Of course I’ll be careful! I’m not going to talk to a wolf or anything,” Eagleheart promised. Did every cat in TideClan think he had no sense of self-preservation?

            “You better not. Who else is going to let me drag them to the twoleg colony and help me with my duties?” Bluepaw looked up at him through his eyelashes, the tangy scent of ginger filling Eagleheart’s nose and making his ears tingle.

            Right then he wanted to lick that smirk right off the medicine cat’s face.

            “Yeahhh,” the tabby got out, which ended up sounding more like he had gotten a piece of grit wedged into a paw pad.

            Bluepaw pranced past him. “Could you grab the rest? Petrelswoop likes to say I have a big mouth, but even I can’t fit five roots in there all at once.”

<> 

            The journey back to camp took the rest of the evening and well into the night. By the time the two toms stumbled down the cliffside to the cave Eagleheart could barely feel his paws. Behind him, Bluepaw stumbled and nearly smacked into the tabby’s behind. How they even got to the medicine den without falling off the cliff was a miracle by itself.

            Petrelswoop was dead to the world, so luckily he didn’t have to witness the pair stumbling into the little cavern like they were dying. Bluepaw gestured with a grunt to the niche in which to put the ginger, so Eagleheart did that and flopped over.

            “Why does Twolegplace have to be so far away. Why is winter so cold,” he groaned.

            “Ungh,” Bluepaw agreed. He nosed the warrior’s flank before slipping into the hollow that lay just beside the main medicine den. Eagleheart pushed himself to his feet and followed, giving a massive yawn before flopping down in Bluepaw’s nest with him.

            “Mm, don’t you have your own nest?” the small tom mumbled.

            “Too far. Too tired.”

            “Okay.”

            So that night, Eagleheart stayed with Bluepaw.

            It was one of the best rests he had ever gotten.

 


	17. Chapter 17

           When Eagleheart woke up, he was curled up comfortably around Bluepaw. The little medicine cat was still fast asleep, narrow head resting against Eagleheart’s side and his tail draped over his feet. The tabby smiled at the peaceful expression on his face, for it wasn’t very often Bluepaw let himself relax.

            He went to lick the other tom’s ear until he woke up, but before he could a quiet cough almost made him pee himself.

            Petrelswoop was standing at the entrance of Bluepaw’s hollow, eyeing Eagleheart bemusedly. “You’ve been a big help to me and Bluepaw ever since you’ve joined TideClan. Something tells me it’s not because you just enjoy being in the medicine den.”

            Eagleheart swallowed, his heart beginning to race. “I, uh… Bluepaw’s a good friend.”

            The ancient tabby flicked an ear. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you behave around my apprentice. I may be old, but I haven’t lost my wits just yet.”

            “I-I don’t understand.”

            “I do. You like toms, yes?”

            “… Yes,” Eagleheart stammered. He had never paid much attention to she-cats, really, not like _that,_ or even given his attraction to other males much thought. It was a part of him as real as his claws and blood. The only part that confused him was that he had never met another cat that liked other cats of the same sex. Other than Bluepaw, probably?

            Would other people think it was a big deal? He hoped not.

            As if sensing his thoughts, Petrelswoop waved his tail, beckoning him to follow. Carefully, Eagleheart rose from the nest and padded after him.

            The cave was already bustling with activity when they emerged from the medicine den. Stormstar was organizing a patrol, Rainfeather was wrestling with Acornfall and Falconflight. The queen Mousefoot was herding the kits out to play. The remaining warriors ambled around and played an informal game of tag.

            Redbriar called after him, but Eagleheart quickly ducked out of the cave with Petrelswoop and trotted swiftly up the cliff path. He didn’t want to talk to her about this whole thing just yet.

            He continued to follow the medicine cat until they were alone in the forest.

            It hit him that he couldn’t quite clearly recall how the trees had looked in Greenleaf, or how sweet the air smelled. When was the last time he had been warm? When was the last time he had even seen the sun?

            “It won’t last forever,” Petrelswoop promised.

            “Can you read my mind?” Eagleheart asked in disbelief.

            “Pfft, of course not. If you’ve been around as long as I have you know what’s on the minds of other cats.” Petrelswoop sniffed at a bush like something on the dead branches interested him. “But I digress. Winter is a hard time for everyone.”

            “How much longer will it last?” he questioned.

            “Just a few more moons. Then spring will be here, and you will have a choice to make.”

            “What choice?”

            Petrelswoop was silent for a moment, looking as if he was deep in thought. “It is not rare for cats to not desire a mate of the opposite gender, but it’s uncommon enough. I’ve met a few homosexual toms and mollies in my lifetime. But some in the clan may disapprove because you will not likely sire kits.”

            “What’s it to them?” Eagleheart asked, scuffling the ground at his paws.

            “You are strong and young. Any offspring that has your blood would no doubt be of great benefit to TideClan.”

            “But there are a lot of strong cats in TideClan!”

            “There are. A few of our more traditional warriors may not see it the way you do, though, and while that may be their problem and not yours… It may take some time for them to get used to the idea,” Petrelswoop explained.

            Eagleheart swallowed nervously. He didn’t want other cats to think he was any different than them; he wasn’t. He just wanted to be the best warrior he could be.

            “And then there is the subject of my apprentice.” The gray tabby elder looked Eagleheart in the eye, any trace of lightheartedness gone. “I’ve seen the way you look at him. You have feelings for him?”

            Eagleheart’s ears flattened. He did, didn’t he? Perhaps it shouldn’t have come as such a shock, but it was still jarring to even consider. But Bluepaw was the one cat who really seemed to enjoy his company, to listen to everything he had to say and walk side-by-side with him through every day and night. The little tom was his best friend.

            His heart warmed, making the winter chill barely even significant.

            But Petrelswoop scowled at him. “You must ignore your feelings for Bluepaw while you still can! You must choose another for your mate.”

           _“What?!_ Why?”

           “Medicine cats are forbidden from taking a partner and having kits.”

           A kind of numbness made his paws heavy. In a split second, the sensation traveled up his legs and into his chest. “But… I…”

           “Our duty is to StarClan and to the art of healing. I expect you to respect that,” Petrelswoop said firmly. “There is no room for love in the life of a medicine cat. I am truly sorry, Eagleheart, but that is how it must be.”

           With that, Petrelswoop turned and strode away. From above, snow began to fall as dark clouds covered the sky, and the wind began to pick up.

           Eagleheart barely registered the changing weather. All he could think about was what the old medicine cat had told him. Bluepaw would never be able to take a mate, and Eagleheart himself risked scorn from some of the senior warriors for not contributing to the future warriors of TideClan.

           He sat down heavily, ignoring the snow piling up on his back.

           A distant call reached his ears. The fact that he should probably turn around and see who it was didn’t register until Bluepaw’s sweet scent hit his nose, and he looked around to see the medicine cat apprentice standing in a remaining slip of sunlight. The dark fur lining his ears glinted gold and white.

           Bluepaw’s face lit up when he saw Eagleheart. “Hey, you. Gonna fight the blizzard one-on-one?”

           "Why?”

           “What?”

           “Why do you flirt with me so much when you’re not allowed to take a mate?” The tabby swallowed thickly. “Why did you do that to me? I thought you really liked me.”

           Dusk-blue eyes widened. Bluepaw’s mouth moved, but nothing came out.

           Suddenly, Eagleheart realized exactly why Bluepaw had become so distant. If he kept at constantly being with him a few cats might have gotten suspicious. Bluepaw would have put his important position in jeopardy. With Petrelswoop on his last stretch of life, TideClan would risk not having a medicine cat in power, and without a medicine cat there would be no TideClan.

           Was this what Nightstar had talked to Bluepaw in private about? StarClan above, he was beginning to despise that old tom more and more.

           “Eagleheart, I… just… I _did_ like you. I still do! I got carried away. I didn’t mean to hurt you, I swear!” Bluepaw cried.

           “Then _why?”_ he repeated.

           “I just… wanted to be with you. You’re the only cat who’s ever seen me as more as just the clan medicine cat. You _get_ me, Eagleheart,” Bluepaw said desperately.

           “So you just played pretend, making your own little reality where you get to lead me on even though you’re forbidden from falling in love. Thank you, Bluepaw, for making me feel wanted.” Eagleheart stood, not having the energy to even lift his tail from the snow. “I’m glad you enjoyed it while it lasted. I really am.”

           _"Eagleheart,”_ Bluepaw begged, trailing after him as Eagleheart began heading back to the camp, a growing pain threatening to break the tabby warrior’s heart in half. Bluepaw bounded up next to him to get his attention, face twisted in grief, but Eagleheart couldn’t stand being around him any longer. Without another word, he sprinted off, wishing he had never befriended the medicine cat apprentice in the first place.

<> 

           Redbriar, of course, was all over him when he got back.

           “Where have you been? You’ve been gone all morning. Brightclaw wants you for afternoon patrol, by the way,” she questioned, sniffing him all over.

           “Hunting,” he said blandly.

           She raised a brow. “Hunting snowflakes?”

           “The animals must have sensed the storm.” He shrugged past her and went to go find Brightclaw for the patrol.

           The pale tabby nodded at him as the younger warrior joined him, Sunmist, and Flameflash. As usual, the calico was chattering away as the patrol headed up into the forest. Eagleheart welcomed the distraction. Unfortunately, that meant that he was subject to the seemingly never-ending tale of how she had scaled the tallest tree in the forest. And yes, she knew it was the tallest tree in the forest. Why? Because she said so.

           They made their rounds without incident. When they got back Eagleheart grabbed a mouse from the prey pile, ate it, helped get new bedding for the elders, and went back to his nest to sleep away the rest of the evening.  

           If only he had fallen for another warrior instead of a medicine cat, he thought angrily. If Bluepaw was a warrior everything would have been a whole lot simpler, or if Eagleheart was a medicine cat, maybe. He frowned at the thought; he knew that would never be his path. Cats like Petrelswoop and Bluepaw had a special connection with StarClan, a connection Eagleheart knew most cats just didn’t develop in their lifetimes.

           Speaking of lifetimes, he was pretty sure Redbriar was going to shorten his.

           He was out hunting the following evening when the torbie joined him, a squirrel already dangling from her jaws. Redbriar flung the dead rodent over her back so she would have her mouth free and licked her lips. “Any luck?”

           “No.”

           “Mm-hm. You know, you can always talk to me about whatever’s bothering you,” she told him.

           “I’ll be fine.”

           “It doesn’t look like it.”

           “Could you quit bothering me?”

           “I bother you because I care about you, I’m your sister,” she said haughtily.

           “I’m allowed to have my own life!” Eagleheart hissed. “We already had this conversation before we even joined TideClan! If you want to be all over somebody, let it be Softstep.”

           For the first time as long as Eagleheart could remember, Redbriar looked completely baffled. “Wait, what?”

           “Um, yes? Softstep? Scruffy tabby tom, too gangly for his own good? Bad hind leg? Has been following you around since winter began?”

          Redbriar blinked several times, stopping in her tracks and staring at him. “Softstep? You’re absolutely certain?”

           “He outright confessed to me that he has a thing for you, Redbriar. And you did kiss him at our naming ceremony,” he added.

           “… Great StarClan. I have to go.” She took off in a multicolored streak of fur, and then skidded to a halt to glare back at him. “This is _not_ over, Eagleheart! I’m not going to let your moping ruin our success in this clan!”

          Redbriar leapt over a snowy log and disappeared, leaving the dark tabby to stare after her with flattened ears and raised hackles.

 _“Mollies,”_ he grumbled, before picking up on the fresh scent of a hare and continuing on his way.


	18. Chapter 18

            The next moon went by painfully slow. Redbriar, being Redbriar, pestered him relentlessly about what was bothering him. He ended up yelling at her more than a few times to just leave him alone; it was just the weather, he was tired, he didn’t want her to ride his ass day in and day out the way she did.

            She would storm off, hissing and snarling. Inevitably, Softstep began to follow her lead, giving Eagleheart nasty looks whenever he could. Dustypool and Aukletflight were his main source of solace after those fights. They would go to the forest to spar and hunt until their paws were on the verge of falling off.

            It was another half-moon before Shadowstep began to join them.

            Shy as he was, the handsome black tom began to come out from his shell. Aukletflight had the right to claim most of the credit for this, for it was her who had finally connected with him. She was his exact opposite; provocative, extroverted, flirtatious and loud, yet Shadowstep seemed to enjoy her antics more and more. It was no secret Aukletflight had her sights set on him, so the attention she got only fueled her drive.

            “Once we get you in the water you’ll never want to get back out. You’re a water cat, I can see it already,” the black-and-white she-cat proclaimed.

            “Really?” Shadowstep asked, stretching with enough vigor to send a wave of little cracks up his spine. “How can you tell?”

            “Your feet are webbed.”

            He held up his front paws to inspect them. Sure enough, there was a good amount of skin stretching from one toe to the other.

            From where she laid on her log, Spikeclaw rolled her eyes. “Most cats have webbed feet, dumb-dumb. Some just have more than others.”

            “Well, he’s got more webbing than usual,” Aukletflight huffed. Beside her, Dustypool giggled, covering her muzzle with one snow-covered paw.

            “Whatever you say.”

            Eagleheart watched as a small group of ravens flew by, stark black against the shadowed snow of the forest. He missed the little songbirds with their sweet chirps that would hop around from branch to branch in the warm seasons. There was a certain charm to them that was hard to put words to. Now that they were gone, the only birds he saw were the bigger ravens and crows and some birds of prey.

            “-Heart? Eagleheart!”

            He snapped out of his trance, blinking in alarm. “What? Sorry.”

            Aukletflight groaned. “I swear, you keep your head in the dirt nowadays. Spikeclaw asked if you wanted to go on patrol with us.”

           “Oh, uh, sure! Sorry.” Eagleheart all but jumped to his feet and winced when something in his tail cracked. He flicked it to get any more cricks out and bounded after the three she-cats and Shadowstep.

           They headed for the clan border, Aukletflight taking the lead. Single-file, the five of them trotted through the trees, taking the same path the patrols always did. Dustypool, with her mostly white fur, blended in almost perfectly with the snow.

           “Once it starts to warm back up things will get more exciting,” Aukletflight promised them. “Boulderfoot says Stormstar will choose cats to make the Recruiting trip once the snow begins to melt.”

           The Recruiting? _Oh, right._ Eagleheart had heard about that. It was an old TideClan tradition for the leader and a few escorts to travel over to the Twoleg colony and seek out cats who might be interested in becoming warriors. Stormstar had told him about it during his training. If they were successful in finding recruits, the clan cats would leave the Twoleg colony and go back to camp, and once spring came Stormstar would come to collect the new warriors. It was supposed to be a very festive time of the year.

           “Boulderfoot told me about it as well,” Shadowstep said. “We will have to be careful in case Thicket’s rogues decide to make an appearance.”

           “Oh, right. Forgot about them.” Aukletflight’s ears swiveled back in annoyance.

           “What’s the point in dragging new cats here every season cycle anyway? Seems like a jump into the dark, like if one of them changes their mind and wants to go home,” Spikeclaw asked dryly.

           “Then they go home. We don’t keep any cat here against their will,” Dustypool told her.

           “And why must new recruits meet a certain set of requirements in terms of physical size and abilities? I thought you traditional clan cats liked to brag about how TideClan is open to any cat.” Shadowstep trotted forward to catch up to Aukletflight, one brow raised.

           “Stormstar’s not gonna bring in cats that might drown or freeze to death!” Aukletflight snorted. “There’s a reason TideClan is almost entirely Maine Coons, Siberians- you know, the bigger cats. Ever seen a little shorthair try to swim in the ocean? They go under in seconds.”

           “I’m a shorthair.”

           “Yeah, but you’re big with webbed feet. You at least have a chance.”

           Shadowstep grunted in reluctant agreement.

           “Besides, if you don’t bring in new cats every now and again somebody’s going to end up mating their aunt or uncle or something and then you get kits with bad hind legs and no eyelids and terrible things like that,” Aukletflight added.

           “No eyelids?” Dustypool squeaked in terror.

           “Oh yeah. Ask Mousefoot, she’s seen it happen with an old house cat friend of hers.”

           Eagleheart felt a little nauseated, so the scent-trail of a vole came as a welcome surprise. “Aukletflight, I smell vole. Don’t wait for me!”

           “Good luck!”

           The dark tabby plowed forward, nose brushing the ground as he quickly found the vole’s faint track through the brush. For quite some time, he followed it, never taking his eyes off the path he took.

           Sadly, his efforts ended up being fruitless. Upon rounding a dying pine tree he came upon the imprint of owl wings into the snow, the vole’s tracks ending right where the obvious impact had occurred. The wingspan of the bird was wider than Eagleheart was long, which would have impressed him if he hadn’t been so intent on getting that vole.

           “Damn.” Eagleheart shook the snow from his pelt. That had been a huge waste of time. Now he would have to go find the patrol empty-pawed and tired from the hike across a sizable part of TideClan territory, and Redbriar would no doubt start interrogating him again once she got word of his failure.

           A deep _hoot_ made him glance up in alarm.

           Sitting on the branch of the dying pine tree was a massive white owl. Its feathers were flecked with black, eyes brighter yellow than the most intense morning sun. And of course, clutched in a cage of wickedly curved talons, was the vole.

          He glared at the bird. It blinked coolly at him, rousing like it was preparing for a short nap, completely unbothered by the angry cat hissing up from the ground.

          “You little…” Eagleheart reared up, dug his claws into the bark, and started climbing the tree. There was no way some dumb owl was going to get the best of him!

          About halfway up, he realized he had made a severe miscalculation.

          Well, two miscalculations.

          The first one was that it was a very tall tree. The second one was that he was fat, and fat cats were generally not so good in trees.

          “Oh, damn, oh, StarClan on a stick,” he wheezed, kicking at the trunk with his hind legs. He ended up bracing himself on a branch, teetering precariously as he tried to spread his weight over a greater area. Above him, the white owl watched the show, and Eagleheart swore he could see amusement in those huge yellow eyes.

          That gave him the energy to scramble up the remaining distance between himself and the owl. Out of breath, Eagleheart stared at his enemy with narrowed eyes.

          “Don’t make me take it from you,” he hissed, puffing up. “My clan needs that vole. Our queen hasn’t eaten in three days!”

          He- Eagleheart was fairly certain the owl was male, simply adjusted his position on the branch so that he was facing the warrior. A sharp _clack_ made him jump before he realized it had come from the owl snapping his beak.

          He did it again, swaying slightly. Eagleheart slowly sunk into a crouch. If all went well, he would knock the owl right out of the tree, grab the vole, and haul tail back to camp. If it didn’t, well. He hoped that owl kept his talons clean.

          The owl seemed to have sensed Eagleheart’s intentions, and leaned forward to take flight, gripping the vole in one feathered foot.

          “Oh, no you don-!”

 _“Eagleheart,_ no!”

         The sudden yowl made the tabby stumble in surprise and loose his footing. He gasped as he slipped from the branch, and then he was tumbling through the air. Instinctively he swung his tail up and around to restore his balance, but before he could rotate completely he smashed into another branch, and his flank erupted with pain.

         The ground rushed up to meet him, and Eagleheart fell face-first into the snow. By some miracle of StarClan, he could feel that his neck was not broken. His ribs, however-

         “Eagleheart!”

 _The stars hate me,_ he thought before a familiar face appeared in his sights.

        Bluepaw’s brows were furrowed in anger and concern. “Why would do you that? A Snowy Owl could kill you in a heartbeat, not to mention they’re sacred birds!”

        The words took a moment to register, but when they did, Eagleheart managed to raise his head to glare at the medicine cat. “Sacred birds? Since when do we have _sacred birds?”_

         “Since always! Only a cursed warrior attacks a Snowy Owl!”

         “I’m cursed because I share a clan with you,” Eagleheart groaned.

         “Shut up.” Bluepaw shoved his head under Eagleheart’s neck and pushed him upright. “Come on, I’m getting you back to camp.”

         Eagleheart cried out as he forced himself to all fours; he had definitely broken something in his side, or maybe multiple somethings. Slowly, he stumbled forward, every step sending sharp stabs of pain all over his body. Bluepaw supported him from his uninjured side, despite his warning growl. He didn’t want the medicine cat anywhere near him.

 _That’s a lie,_ a little voice in his head sang.

 _He’s nothing but trouble. He used me!_ Eagleheart cried.

 _More lies,_ the voice insisted.

         The sun had changed its place in the sky by the time they made it back to camp. The pain had grown and grown until he could barely breathe. From what sounded like across the entire ocean, Redbriar yowled in alarm before her scent hit his nose. He could sense her following him and Bluepaw to the medicine den, but for once he didn’t mind the attention.

          “Redbriar?” he croaked as Bluepaw herded him into a mossy nest. Eagleheart collapsed on his good side, and then he felt Redbriar anxiously licking his face. Petrelswoop’s scent became noticeable after that.

          “Don’t let him pass out,” he heard the elderly tom say to Bluepaw say from what sounded like so far away. Redbriar obliged by licking his face even harder. He groaned unhappily and swatted at her, but the movement only made the pain worse.

          “Lemme alone,” he whimpered.

          “No can do,” Bluepaw said sharply, shoving something sour and leafy into Eagleheart’s mouth. “Swallow. Petrelswoop, how many ribs are broken?”

          The tabby almost blacked out again when he felt prodding along his side. “Let’s see, that one, that one there… and that. Three. First one from the front is a hairline fracture. We’ll need to put the other two back into place.”

          “Oh, StarClan,” Redbriar moaned.

          “Move your ass!” Bluepaw must have shoved the torbie out of the way, because Eagleheart heard her squawk angrily and stumble away from him.

          “Alright, here we go.” Eagleheart felt two sets of paws resting lightly against his ribs. He whined in terror, scrabbling at the den floor in an instinctive attempt to get away from the pain. “Ready, Bluepaw?”

          “One, two-!”

          The most blinding pain Eagleheart had ever experienced made him open his jaws as far as they would go in a silent scream. It felt like an eternity before his body let him breathe again. When it did, he practically sobbed for air, pain-tears rolling down his cheeks.

          Bluepaw was cleaning his face when Eagleheart regained most of his senses. He dazedly inhaled the medicine cat apprentice’s warm smell, anger forgotten.

          “You’ll be okay,” he whispered in the tabby’s ear. “I’ll take care of you.”

          “Bluepaw…” Eagleheart mumbled, and then he finally let the night take him.

 


	19. Chapter 19

            In his dreams, Eagleheart saw Thicket.

            The big gray tom was perched on a rotting log, a slender black she-cat at his side- his mate, the tabby remembered. Her narrowed green eyes surveyed the crowd before them with frightening intensity. Eagleheart flinched back from where he watched on the sidelines, half expecting for her to eject lightning from those dazzling green orbs.

            “How many gone?” Thicket snapped at a large tabby to his left.

            “Five, Thicket. But I did find Danny on the outskirts of the twoleg colony,” the tabby rasped. His muzzle was almost completely silver, and Eagleheart felt a surge of anger at the colony leader’s treatment of the elderly tom.

            “I hope that you disposed of him,” Thicket growled.

            The tabby blinked in surprise. “You expect an old cat like me to take on a fighter like Danny? I’d be dead in a heartbeat!”

            “Is that what your outlook is, Mud? Are you really so cowardly as to not even try to deal justice to those who have deserted your family?” Thicket snarled.

            “Danny may have been my kin, but I do not speak for his actions,” Mud said calmly. “And neither do you. It was your provoking of TideClan that put our colony in danger and forced us to leave, and if cats choose to leave because of that, then they have every right to.”

            “Watch your tongue, old one,” the colony leader said softly, fangs bared in the dim light.

            “I speak only the truth. For all our sakes, Thicket, put aside these dreams of grandeur and join us in reality! Was it not enough of a message when your children left?” Mud yowled, voice brittle with age but still strong.

            Eagleheart didn’t even have time to cry out before Thicket attacked.

            A gray blur collided with the ancient tabby, sending both toms flying across the clearing. Colony cats yelped in terror and scattered out of the way. Somewhere in the crowd Eagleheart heard a kit start crying in fear.

            Thicket stood over Mud, claws digging into his throat. Blood welled up from where they had sank into flesh, and it began to spread through the dirty tabby pelt of its owner.

            “My children will return to me. I will make them if I must. There are _no_ worthier cats to succeed me as leader!” Thicket roared.

            Mud choked for air, scrabbling feebly at his leader, but Thicket didn’t even seem to notice. With a final caterwaul of rage he lunged for Mud’s throat and ripped it wide open.

            “No!” Eagleheart screeched, trying to move and get Thicket off the elder, but he was rooted to the ground he sat on. He could only watch as blood spread out around Mud’s head in a liquid halo. By the time Thicket stepped away from him he had stopped breathing.

            The colony leader’s gray fur glinted sharply in the moonlight as he turned to face the rest of the cats. His whole face was coated in blood that dropped in thick drops to the forest floor, and Eagleheart’s blood ran cold.

            “Let it be known that any cat who dares to desert this colony will receive the same fate as old Mud!” Thicket’s voice boomed out over the huddled assembly of cats. “There is no room for cowards and traitors in these harsh times. When we take TideClan’s territory for our own it is not just because they drove us out of our home, it will also be for the cats that came _before_ even them, the original and _true_ rulers of the coast! This mission was passed down from every colony leader, generation after generation, to the mighty queen Selena who birthed me. Her spirit will forever command respect over both living and dead, for it is _I_ who will end this war!”

            A yowl rose above the ringing silence, and then another, and then the whole colony was crying out their approval. But even the strongest of battle cries couldn’t mask the stench of fear Eagleheart could smell, coming off even the strongest-looking fighters.

            “And now you see what comes,” a deep voice said in his ear.

            Eagleheart whirled around, searching for the source of the message, but there was nobody to be seen. “Nightstar?”

            He might have smelled something like stars and the ocean, but then the dream faded away to nothing.

<> 

            Upon jolting awake, Eagleheart could tell that one) it was nighttime and two) his ribs were still very much broken.

            He whimpered as his whole torso throbbed with pain. Every breath felt like there were thorns scraping through his innards. Even if he had to deal with stupid crazy StarClan dreams, he just wanted to go back to sleep.

            Petrelswoop’s snores came from across the den, where the old grizzled tabby laid in a heap of moss and leaves.  When a puff of warm air tickled Eagleheart’s ear, he turned to find the other medicine cat stretched out along his back with his face buried in the tabby’s mane.

            Bluepaw’s slender, skinny frame rose and fell slightly with every breath. The shadows of the little cave seemed to swallow him up, bring out the dark hollows of his spine and in-between his ribs.

            With a small jolt of alarm, Eagleheart realized that it wasn’t just his eyes playing tricks on him- Bluepaw was severely underweight.

            How had he not noticed before? The Siamese had always been on the small side, but it had never gotten to the point where Eagleheart could practically count the individual knobs on his spine. Surely Petrelswoop knew something was wrong with his apprentice, the old tom always had been incredibly observant. Eagleheart swallowed nervously.

            Wait. Why did he care again? _Bluepaw_ hadn’t cared about his feelings when he had led him on since the day they met! Oh, and didn’t tell him about that prophecy-thing that was supposedly about him and Redbriar. And last, but certainly not least, it was _his_ fault that Eagleheart had fallen out of that tree and broken his ribs!

            The big tabby rolled back over, squeezing his eyes shut.

            _This isn’t fair._

            For the first time since he had come to TideClan, Eagleheart began to wonder if he had made the right choice.

<> 

            Somehow, he managed to fall back asleep.

            When Eagleheart awoke to the sounds of the clan readying themselves for another day, Petrelswoop was bent over him, sniffing at his flank. It felt swollen and tender when the medicine cat nosed at it, and Eagleheart groaned a protest at the discomfort.

            “Oh, hush, you. Eat these.” Petrelswoop nudged some kind of dark wrinkly leaves towards Eagleheart’s muzzle. The dark tabby obeyed, cringing at the bitter taste.

            Bluepaw stepped back into the den, carrying a lemming, which he promptly set down next to Eagleheart. “When the herbs begin to work go ahead and eat.”

            “Okay.” Eagleheart turned away and rested his head on his paws.

            He could feel the Siamese tom’s presence behind him, tense and unhappy. Petrelswoop grunted something to his apprentice, and the two vanished into the other part of the medicine den, talking too quietly for him to hear.

            Thankfully the herbs chose to finally kick in, dulling the pain in his flank and making breathing reasonably manageable. Eagleheart dragged the lemming over and halfheartedly munched on it.

            A colorful torbie head poked in, followed by the rest of Redbriar as she sniffed worriedly all over Eagleheart. “When will he be back on his feet?”

            “Not until spring,” Petrelswoop said dryly from the other half of the den, organizing herbs. “And fussing over him won’t make him heal any faster, just so you know.”

            “How did he get injured, anyway?” Redbriar asked.

            “I know how to talk,” Eagleheart groaned.

            “No, shush. You’re resting.”

            “He fell out of a tree,” Bluepaw sighed, rolling his eyes.

            “It was _your_ fault!” the tabby snapped.

            _“My_ fault? I wasn’t about to let you get killed by that Snowy Owl, thanks.”

            “A Snowy Owl?” Redbriar yelped. “Oh, StarClan, _thank_ you Bluepaw. I don’t know what Eagleheart would do without you, the moron.”

            “Are you kidding me?” Eagleheart growled, rolling his eyes to the cave ceiling. If StarClan was watching, he hoped they were having a really good time, because those bastards sure weren’t about to lift a paw to help him.

            “Shush. Resting, remember?” Bluepaw patted his face, ignoring the withering look the bigger tom gave him.

            He heard Dustypool yowling for Redbriar, and his sister sighed in reluctance before backing out of the den. “You better have eaten the rest of that lemming by the time I’m back!”

            Before he could protest she was gone.

            Petrelswoop snorted and went back to his herbs. His apprentice had vanished, what for Eagleheart knew not, but he was grateful to not have to be around the Siamese tom.

            “A Snowy Owl, eh? I’ve seen one take out a fox before. The wolves and mountain lions may rule the land, and the whales the sea, but the owls are the ones that rule the sky. Even the other birds of prey know to bow before them,” Petrelswoop said.

            “Why the Snowy Owl? Other birds of prey are way bigger,” Eagleheart asked curiously.

            Petrelswoop smiled. “The falcon is swift and strong. She will never yield before any force of nature, and yet she is impatient, reckless. The hawk, with his keen eyes, has much patience. But he is lazy. He waits at the tops of trees for his next meal to come by, even if it takes more time than to go hunting for himself.”

            “… And the eagle?”

            “The eagle is the wisest of those who hunt during the day. He does not desire power, for he has earned his place in legend simply by being himself. Above all, he loves his family, and because of his mighty compassion and gentle heart he sees no weakness in not challenging the Snowy Owl for the heavens.” Petrelswoop ran his tongue through his chest fur.

            Eagleheart stared at him. “Why did Stormstar name me after a bird like that?”

            The old medicine cat sighed. “Stormstar and I do not see eye-to-eye on many things. In my opinion, she is entitled and immature. She thinks I’m crotchety and too traditional.” He paused, and then turned to look fondly at Eagleheart. “But if there is one thing we agree on, it is that you are destined for greatness.”

            He felt a bit overwhelmed at that. “But… I don’t want anything. It’s Redbriar who wants to be clan leader someday!”

            “She does. But destiny is an unpredictable mistress.” Petrelswoop rose to all fours and stretched. “Now go back to sleep. The less time one spends awake while injured, I’ve found, the more tolerable the healing process is.”

            But even when Petrelswoop left, leaving Eagleheart alone in the quiet den, he couldn’t make himself go back to sleep. He wanted to go out in the forest with his friends, or even try and hunt. Anything but being in the medicine den.

            His stomach growled at the thought of food. Despite the onslaught of nausea that almost made him collapse when he pushed himself to his front legs, he managed to drag himself out of the medicine den and to the nearby prey pile. He decided on a rabbit and pathetically crawled back to his nest, trying not to cry when his side felt like it was being scorched by fire.

            The rabbit was a quarter-way done when Bluepaw came back, a few berries of some kind in his mouth. He went to put them in a shell with other berries that looked just like them, and then stopped and flattened his ears when he saw Eagleheart.

            The Siamese tom put down the berries and glared at him. “I hope Petrelswoop got that rabbit for you instead of you dragging your dumb ass all the way to the prey pile and back.”

            “Why do you care?” Eagleheart asked, letting his hackles rise.

            “Because I’m your medicine cat and your _friend,”_ Bluepaw shot back, tone implying that the big tabby was confused about the subject in some way.

            “You’re not my friend.”

            “Sorry, bees-for-brains. You can’t get rid of me that easily,” Bluepaw purred, stretching. Eagleheart almost started a fight right there and then, injuries be damned, but then he saw Bluepaw’s ribcage through his pelt and remembered when the medicine cat apprentice had been curled up against him last night.

            “When’s the last time you ate?” he demanded.

            Bluepaw blinked, obviously surprised at the change of topic. “Uh… yesterday?”

            “Liar. I can see literally every one of your ribs.”

            “The others need to eat more than I do; they do patrols and hunts. I can go one more day,” Bluepaw insisted.

            “This winter has driven you half-mad. TideClan needs you and Petrelswoop.” Eagleheart shoved the rabbit towards the other tom.

            Bluepaw glared doubtfully at him, and then the rabbit, but when Eagleheart hissed he relented. The skinny tom dove in and ate like it was the only thing keeping him from death.

            Amazingly, the rest of the rabbit was demolished. Bluepaw kicked the bones out of the den and staggered over to his nest beside Eagleheart’s, looking dazed.

            “You look like a pregnant queen.”

            “Shut up.”

            Bluepaw collapsed in a heap, looking up at Eagleheart with half-lidded eyes. The tabby swallowed and looked away. It was getting harder and harder to not get lost in those dark blue eyes and long, slender legs.

            “I never wanted to hurt you,” Bluepaw whispered.

            “You knew it would happen.” Eagleheart refused to look at him.

            The medicine cat apprentice heaved an exhausted breath. “I thought it would be easy to never want a mate, or even develop feelings for somebody. When I first came to TideClan I hardly even gave it a thought- I was going to be one of the most important cats in the clan! But I soon learned that power comes with a price.”

            Eagleheart listened, even as he stared blankly at the stone wall.

            “When you came along, I… I don’t know. I just couldn’t help myself. My duties and what _I_ wanted clashed, and I thought that if I tried hard enough, maybe someday I would be able to have both.” Bluepaw closed his eyes, looking completely worn out. “Some tough clan cat I am. If Petrelswoop decides to kick me out of the medicine den I won’t blame him.”

            “You seriously don’t think he’ll do that?” Eagleheart asked, alarmed despite himself. He had completely disregarded the notion that Bluepaw was in hot water as well.

            “I don’t know what I’ll do if he does. TideClan needs big, strong cats as warriors, because they’re the only cats that can survive out here. And I, as you can see, am neither big nor strong,” Bluepaw explained matter-of-factly.

            “I won’t let it come to that.”

            Bluepaw smiled, making Eagleheart scowl and shuffle away from him as far as he could. “I’m still mad at you! I just don’t want you dead!”

            “’Mkay. Well, I’m afraid you’ll just have to deal with it until your ribs heal. You’re stuck with me, chubby.” The medicine cat apprentice winked.

            Eagleheart shoved his face into the moss and groaned.


	20. Chapter 20

            For the next half-moon, Redbriar fussed, Bluepaw hovered, and Petrelswoop swore that the next cat who broke any number of ribs was permanently out of his good graces.

            “Leg? You’ll be fine. Tail? Don’t even come to my den. Ribs? Have fun breathing for the next four moons,” the elderly tabby grumbled.

            “Four moons?” Eagleheart whimpered, staring at Petrelswoop in horror.

            “Yes, if you don’t stop squirming around like a dying rat.”

            The younger Maine Coon released a breath and rested his head on his front paws. “I’m just dead weight. All I do is eat other cats’ kills and waste your time.”

            “It’s easy to feel that way while you’re recovering from an injury,” Petrelswoop said, his eyes softening a little. “But if we didn’t take care of each other, there would be no TideClan. That’s how society works.”

            That helped him feel a little better. “Thanks.”

            Petrelswoop smiled and patted his paw. Eagleheart watched through drooping eyelids as the medicine cat went about his business, studying the different kinds of herbs and berries that were piled in seashells and niches in the stone wall. They all looked more or less the same in his eyes. How Petrelswoop and Bluepaw identified them so effortlessly was beyond him.

            “What’s that one you’re holding?” he asked.

            “Thyme. It soothes an upset stomach. Also pretty useful for constipation, I’ve discovered over the years,” Petrelswoop said dryly.

            “How do you know it’s thyme?”

            Petrelswoop pushed a small stem towards him that was covered in many little leaves. “Take a sniff.”

            Eagleheart sniffed it and jerked his head back in surprise. “Whoa.”

            “Very sharp and tangy, isn’t it? It tastes even stronger. Now sniff this,” Petrelswoop offered, tossing the younger tabby a little purple flower with a crackly stem.

            “That’s easy, this is lavender. It’s purple.”

            “Take a deep breath.”

            He bent down and inhaled deeply. Then he blinked in surprise when he felt his heartbeat slow and his muscles loosen up.

            “Lavender works with anxiety. Line your nest with some and you’ll get the best sleep out of any cat,” Petrelswoop told him.

            Eagleheart pushed the herbs back to Petrelswoop. “How do you remember all of them?”

            “Well, if you mess up you could kill somebody. That always helps me concentrate.”

            Suddenly, the young warrior was very happy he didn’t become a medicine cat.

            A shadow was cast across both parts of the small cave, followed by a shivering Bluepaw. “Hey hey hey, guess who has icicles forming on their asshole?”

            Eagleheart snorted despite himself and disguised it as a cough.

            “Is it you?” Petrelswoop humored him.

            “It sure is! You’ll never believe what happened out in the woods; Dustypool found Aukletflight and Shadowstep getting cozy under a bush, so she went to get me, of course, and then when we found them again they were in a really awkward position…“ Bluepaw began.

            Petrelswoop groaned and flopped over on his side. “Please tell me they weren’t actually copulating, for the love of all our ancestors.”

            “No worries, they weren’t. But they were sure getting a head start for spring!”

            “Um… what’s copulating? And what’s coming in spring?” Eagleheart asked tentatively, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

            “Not me, unfortunately,” Bluepaw grumbled.

            Petrelswoop cuffed him upside the head. “Copulating is the act of mating. You know, sex. As for spring, I’ll let one of the queens talk to you about that.”

            “Oh… Okay?”

<> 

            It took a few more long moons for Eagleheart’s ribs to heal, and even then he was still incredibly sore. Bluepaw walked with him around the perimeter of the cave every day, always there to support him if he needed it, even if the tabby didn’t want him there. But Eagleheart was not the kind of cat able to hold on to anger. As much as he hated to admit it, he couldn’t bring himself to cut all his ties with Bluepaw. He knew he needed to talk with him sometime about what they were going to do about their feelings, but Eagleheart _really_ wanted to keep being friends with the smaller tom, even if it meant they couldn’t be together the way they really wanted to.

            So as winter at last began to loosen its hold on the world, it also helped Eagleheart release his grudge against the other. The first time it rained since winter began the entire clan crowded outside, yowling and cheering, tilting their faces towards the sky like it was the best thing that had ever happened.

            As if stirring from a deep sleep, the earth began to come back to life through the melting snow and ice. Tiny green things shot up from the dirt and produced leaves and flowers. The trees that weren’t pines grew their leaves back. Overhead, the cheerful honking of geese and swans echoed through the forest, followed by the cranes. After the birds of the water came warblers and woodpeckers and bluebirds. The first time Eagleheart woke to the tentative singing of the forest birds he wept for joy, and Bluepaw giggled uncontrollably before telling him to wait in the medicine den for a moment. Confused, the dark tabby did as he was told. Then Bluepaw brought back a live goldfinch for him.

            They took the poor creature to the cliff’s edge before releasing it. The goldfinch spiraled gleefully into the early spring sky, chirping something that sounded like a victory cry before zipping off. Eagleheart watched it go, happier than he had been in a long time.

            Redbriar caught on to his change in mood almost immediately, and while she still despised being in the dark about what had caused his good cheer to return she seemed relieved to have the old version of her brother back.

            It was also because of her that Eagleheart finally learned about what Petrelswoop had been saying about something that would come in the spring.

            At first there was just the excited whispers between the she-cats. Aukletflight and Redbriar started spending an unusual amount of time in the nursery, chatting with Mousefoot and helping out with the kits, who were due to be apprentices soon. When she wasn’t training Darkpaw, Fireflower was also there.

            Then the other toms started acting strange. Shadowstep started following Aukletflight around for no reason. The black-and-white molly seemed to love the extra attention, though, so Eagleheart didn’t intervene. Brightclaw and Acornfall got into a scrap over a patrol and had to be separated by Stormstar.

            Eagleheart shrugged off the weird behavior for a quarter-moon, dismissing it as spring making everybody crazy. He hunted a lot, since even the senior warriors seemed too distracted to make sure the prey pile was stocked, which was a little unnerving.

            One sunny day, he decided enough was enough, and went to go find his sister.

            _This is getting ridiculous. Ever since the leaves came back to the trees this entire clan has been acting like Petrelswoop slipped something into their food. Have I missed something?_

            Redbriar was down at the beach, stretched out on a rock and enjoying the sun. Her red torbie pelt was still winter-thick, and when Eagleheart marched up to her he could see stray hairs flying away in the ocean breeze. “Redbriar!”

            He might as well have snuck up on her and bit her in the ass. Redbriar yelped and flipped over on her stomach so fast she almost fell off the rock. Then she glared down at him with enough ferocity to scare away an entire colony of rogues.

            “Eagleheart, don’t _do_ that!”

            “Oh, uh, sorry? I thought you heard me.”

            His sister scoffed. “No, I did not. What do you want?”

            _Wow, somebody’s cranky._ But before he could ask her for her opinion on the new developments in TideClan, the wind shifted, blowing her scent directly towards him.

            Eagleheart jerked back in surprise. He knew his sister’s smell as well as his own, and that strange hot scent was definitely _not_ normal. It was weirdly overwhelming, like laying in a field of odorous flowers in the summer, and then he lost the ability to speak. He blinked furiously, shaking his head.

            Redbriar shifted uncomfortably.

            “What the… are you sick? You smell weird,” he said.

            “No, I’m not _sick,”_ she growled. “Have one of the queens not talked to you?”

            “Um… no?”

            “Ugh. Okay, so I’m a little over a season cycle old, right?” she prompted.

            “Yes?”

            “And now it’s spring. All the other peoples of the forest are beginning to repopulate.”

            “I-I guess.”

            “You know, by taking mates.”

            “Yeah…”

            Redbriar groaned and clamped her paws over her face. “For StarClan’s sake, Eagleheart. I’m in _heat.”_

            “Heat? You have a fever?”

            “No! _Ugh,_ I’ll explain. So when mollies reach a certain age, about eight to ten moons old, we become sexually mature. As in, we begin to develop what we need to bear kits,” Redbriar explained. “And so at eight to ten moons old, we experience our first heat, which makes us rather, erm, _excited,_ and willing to mate and have kits. Of course it varies from breed to breed, with us Maine Coons having our first heat at one season cycle old because we’re big. Smaller breeds like Siamese go into heat for the first time as early as five moons old.”

            Eagleheart stared at her, slack-jawed.

            “So, now that you know…” she smiled evilly.

            He whimpered in terror.

            “Any special molly you’ve got your eye on? Dustypool, perhaps? She’s very sweet; you two would be a great pair-“

            “Nope! Nonono!” Eagleheart turned in place and shot off as fast as he possibly could, kicking up sand in the process. “Nuh-uh! _Noooooooo!”_

            Redbriar’s laughter followed him all the way back up the cliff.

            He ended up hightailing it back into the cave and squeezing into the medicine den to take shelter. Bluepaw blinked as the dark tabby thundered by him and curled up in the corner of the little cave. “Uh, Eagleheart?”

            “Redbriar told me everything. This clan has gone crazy, and the only thing that’ll help is if they do the _thing,”_ Eagleheart whimpered.

            “Mate?”

            “Don’t say it!” he wailed.

            “Sex? Double-cat stack? The naughty crouch?”

            “Bluepaw!”

            The medicine cat apprentice cackled and flicked Eagleheart with his tail. “Don’t worry your pretty head about it. This quarter-moon will be pretty hectic because we have four females hitting their first heat. Lightningpaw- you know, Aukletflight’s half-sister? Petrelswoop’s a little worried; she’s starting early if the way she smells is saying anything.”

            “Lightningpaw?” Alarm race up his spine. “But she’s still so small!”

            “She’ll be fine, Eagleheart. Until things settle down she’ll just stay with the queens or in here with me and Petrelswoop,”Bluepaw explained.

            Eagleheart felt a little better at that. “Oh, okay.”

            Bluepaw was silent for a long moment as he focused on his herbs, slender paws effortlessly sorting them out into different piles. “So… you will not be taking a mate?”

            “Nope. I like toms and _only_ toms.”

            “Me too!” Bluepaw exclaimed.

            “Yes, I know.”

            The Siamese snorted, throwing his head back to cackle in amusement. Eagleheart felt a surge of warmth in his chest and immediately tried to squash it back down. No, he could not be doing any of that right now. Reluctantly, he mumbled a farewell to Bluepaw and slipped back out into the cave, pretending he didn’t see the flash of disappointment that crossed the medicine cat’s sleek brown face.

            He padded out to the cave entrance and headed up the cliff to the forest. Since everybody was going to be very busy for a while, he supposed getting some hunting done would be appreciated.

            Eagleheart was out past sundown before he made his way back, mouth stuffed with mice and a rabbit slung over his back. Rainfeather nodded appreciatively to him as he dropped his catch at the prey pile. He ducked his head and slipped into the warriors’ den, and then stopped in surprise at what he saw.

            TideClan cats were not shy about personal space. They slept in big kitty-piles and groomed each other’s fur. They hunted for each other, shared playful kisses on the cheek, told each other stories well into the night. So he was more than a little confused when he saw that all of the toms were crowded into one end of the den and all of the mollies at the other. He couldn’t smell animosity in the air, but there was a certain tension that made him step carefully around the sleeping females.

            He flopped down next to Softstep, who grunted in acknowledgement and rolled over to rest his head on Eagleheart’s shoulder. On his other side, Otterscratch mumbled something in his half-awake daze and kicked at the air. Slowly, all three tabbies began to fall into a deep sleep, and Eagleheart sighed contently. Everything was going to be fine, he told himself.

            Unfortunately, the beginning of spring was only the start of even more problems.

           


	21. Chapter 21

            The next thing Eagleheart knew he was awake, in that comfortable gray area between sleep and wakefulness. The scent of other TideClan warriors filled the cave and lulled him back towards unconsciousness, except this time the smell of the mollies in heat prickled the air like lightning. Wrinkling his nose, he grunted in annoyance and rolled back over, only to pick up on two hushed voices a cat-length away.

            “I’m not asking you to come with me, numb-nuts! You might miss your chance with Redbriar,” somebody hissed.

            “She can wait. Right now, my brother needs me.”

            There was a pause. Then, “Fireflower knows the cover story?”

            _Otterscratch?_ _Softstep?_ Eagleheart opened one eye a crack. The dark brown tabby and his brother were pressed close together, heads bowed. It was early enough that the light coming in from the cave’s entrance barely touched the warriors’ den. But Eagleheart could clearly see that something was wrong with Otterscratch. He trembled in place against Softstep, mane spiked up as if he was facing a whole band of rogues. Eagleheart was alarmed enough to almost not catch the rest of their conversation.

            “… Ran out of time. StarClan must hate me,” Otterscratch growled softly.

            “I’ll fight StarClan.”

            Otterscratch snorted under his breath. When he turned to look back at the other warriors Eagleheart quickly shut his eye to feign sleep.

            “Ready?”

            “Yeah.”

            There were no more words after that. When Eagleheart opened his eyes again, Softstep and Otterscratch were gone.

            He sat up, looking around in concern. Were the two brothers alright? It wasn’t even early enough for the dawn patrol to get going.

            Nobody else in the den stirred, so Eagleheart slipped out unnoticed and made for the forest-bound trail up the cliff.

            Softstep and Otterscratch had chosen their time of escape extremely well- the ground was damp and cold from snow-melt, and overhead a light mist drizzled down from dark clouds, muffling the scents of other animals.

            Eagleheart sniffed around for a moment before finally finding Softstep’s familiar scent. It led into the forest before veering off to the right, making a beeline for the border. The tabby could tell that Softstep was walking behind Otterscratch and making every effort to conceal the other tom’s presence. More than a few times Eagleheart had to carefully toe his way around a still-wet pee puddle.

            The sky continued to grow brighter as he followed the faint trail through the forest. Just as the sun began to peek through the trees, Eagleheart arrived at the scent-marked trees that reminded him he was at the very edge of clan territory. Softstep and Otterscratch’s scent led beyond them and into the unfamiliar woods ahead.

            He paused, hesitant, but then kept on moving.

            Only when he caught a whiff of coyote, stale but still intimidating to the young warrior, did he stop. Eagleheart looked around, trying to pick out anything that might help him find his friends without having to go any further. This had to be close to coyote territory, and he remembered the brutal beating Flameflash had taken from one of the dogs. Even though she lived it was several moons before she made a full recovery, and now the pretty calico would walk with a slight limp for the rest of her life.

            Then he discovered a strange warm scent on a fern. It was definitely from a cat- a TideClan cat. Hopeful, Eagleheart galloped along a rise that was littered with deer droppings until he came across a hollow under an ancient pine.

            The hollow was shielded from the outside world with strips of heavy moss, but Eagleheart saw a faint flicker of movement inside. He crept forward until he was concealed by a large tree root and waited.

            Birds were singing merrily from the treetops by the time he saw Softstep poke his spiky golden head out of the den. The tom looked around before trotting off in the other direction. Eagleheart waited until he was well out of earshot, and then he slowly slunk over to the hollow.

            He inhaled deeply, drawing the scents of the unfamiliar woods over the roof of his mouth, and then almost fell over. The smell he had found on that fern earlier was coming from inside, except now it was enhanced powerfully enough to make him jerk back in surprise.

            Eagleheart braced himself and nosed his way into the hole.

            It must have been a den for a larger animal than he, for it went deeper into the ground than he expected, made by paws stronger than any cat. At the end it expanded into a small sleeping area, and curled up in a tight ball in the leaves and moss was Otterscratch.

            The hazy aroma rising up from his dark fur was strong, but it wasn’t strong enough to block out Eagleheart’s own scent. Otterscratch shifted, opened his eyes, and then saw the other young warrior standing before him.

            It was a good thing his mane was so thick or his throat might have been slit. Otterscratch exploded to his feet and lunged at Eagleheart with a vicious yowl, green eyes blazing in rage. Eagleheart had to scramble back as fast as he could to avoid getting sliced open by thorn-sharp claws.

            _“What are you doing here?!_ Get _away_ from me!” he screamed, back arched and tail bushed up to twice its normal size.

            “Whoa, hey! It’s me, Eagleheart! Calm down,” the bigger tabby begged.

            “Get out!” He had to duck again as the heavily-striped tabby aimed a blow at his head.

            Eagleheart backed up some more and then laid down. “What’s going on? Are you hurt? Talk to me, Otterscratch.”

            Otterscratch hissed furiously, glaring at Eagleheart from the other side of the den. The other warrior looked absolutely terrifying in the shadows. Eagleheart was reminded of when he had met that she-fox on clan ground, except instead of the harsh musk of a canine the den was filled with a much more familiar scent. He had smelled in on Redbriar just yesterday.

            The enraged black tabby finally sat down, heaving sharp breaths. “How did you find us?”

            “I, uh, heard you and Softstep talking earlier before you two left. Then I followed your scents all the way out here. I’m really sorry about shoving my nose in your business, but I just had to make sure you were okay,” Eagleheart explained gently.

            “Damn straight,” Otterscratch growled. But his hackles slowly flattened, and he slumped back down into his nest. He looked completely exhausted.

            “Otterscratch, what’s going on?” he prompted.

            “Your nosy ass managed to track us all the way here. Use that sniffer of yours and guess,” Otterscratch snapped.

            Eagleheart blinked. “I-It’s the same smell the mollies have when they went into heat. I don’t understand.”

            The other tabby closed his eyes. “It’s because I was born into a female cat’s body. I’m a tom, and anybody who says otherwise can go jump off the cliff, but unless StarClan themselves decide to come down and magically give me the right stuff I’m stuck with the heats.”

            “You’re a…” Eagleheart’s brows furrowed. “Really?”

            “Does it not look like I know, you dumb dung-pile? Ugh, I supposed I should get used to it. Once you go back to camp everybody’s gonna know anyway,” Otterscratch huffed, flopping over on his other side.

            “Why? I’m not gonna tell anybody unless you say I can.”

            Otterscratch looked up at him, his expression softening just a bit. “You’re a good cat, Eagleheart. But with the way I stink there’s not going to be any way I’ll be able to hide it.”

            “Then I won’t go back to camp until you’re done. It’s not like I’d be doing a whole lot anyways,” Eagleheart snorted. He padded down to Otterscratch and curled up next to him.

            “It’ll be several days! Your sister will kill me if she finds out I’m the reason you’ve been missing,” Otterscratch spluttered.

            “I’ll handle Redbriar.”

            The darker tabby stared at him. “Huh. You must have balls of stone, because that molly scares the shit right out of me. And what do you mean, you won’t be doing much?”

            Eagleheart burst out laughing. “She does that to people.” He let out a sigh and rested his head on his paws. “As for me being at camp… well. I’m not going to be taking a mate. I like toms, not she-cats.”

            _“What?_ You like toms, too? I mean, I like she-cats. I _love_ she-cats. But toms are also… excellent,” Otterscratch explained hastily.

            Eagleheart looked down at the smaller tom in utter delight. Finally, a cat other than Bluepaw who could understand what he was going through!

            Then he remembered what _Otterscratch_ was going through, and he felt his heart sink. That tom had nobody he could truly confide in but his brother, and if what Eagleheart heard earlier that morning wasn’t just a product of his imagination, Fireflower.

            “How are you going to tell the clan?” he asked.

            “Strut into the cave and demand to fight everybody who doesn’t think I’m a real tom. Then I paint the walls of the warriors’ den with the blood of my enemies.”

            Eagleheart winced. “Yikes. Maybe we could try a more peaceful solution first? If that doesn’t work _then_ you can fight the others.”

            “Ugh, I forgot how disgustingly nice you are. Fine. Once Softstep comes back we’ll come up with a proper plan,” Otterscratch conceded.

            The bigger tabby sighed in relief. The last thing a sexually pent-up clan needed was Otterscratch starting fights.

            Finally able to relax, Eagleheart drifted into a light sleep.

            He dozed in and out of consciousness for a while, listening to the rain pattering through the leaves outside. The rich smells of fresh green things and warming soil was one of the best things he had ever smelled. Sure, winter was alright, but it was when the forest was alive did he feel like himself again.

            At last, Softstep returned, a pheasant is his jaws. When he saw Eagleheart next to his brother he jumped and raised his hackles.

            Otterscratch quickly waved him off. “He’s with us now. Should have known all along Eagleheart would come through for me.”

            The golden tabby blinked warmly at Eagleheart and dropped his catch. “How’d you even find us? Everyone was asleep when we left.”

            “I wasn’t. I didn’t mean to intrude, I promise, I just wanted to make sure nobody’s hurt or anything,” Eagleheart explained sheepishly. “Sorry.”

            “Yeah yeah. If Otterscratch is fine with it so am I.” Softstep ripped a bite out of the pheasant and pushed it towards his brother. Otterscratch ate a little and then shoved it over to Eagleheart, who eagerly ate as much as he could without looking greedy.

            What? He hadn’t eaten since yesterday. He was hungry.

            “So, what should we do to tell the clan we’re not dead?” Eagleheart asked worriedly after they were done.

            “Fireflower’s got us covered. We went on a hunting trip. But Redbriar’s going to be angry I left,” Softstep moaned. “She’ll never want me after this!”

            “Moron. I told you not to come!” Otterscratch hissed crankily, smacking Softstep upside his head.

            “Wait! I have an idea!” Eagleheart jumped to his feet. “Softstep, you can go back to camp. I’ll stay here with Otterscratch. If my sister asks where I am tell her I went with your brother so he doesn’t go do something stupid. She won’t be suspicious, she knows I’m not interested in getting somebody pregnant.”

            Softstep looked at him, and then pawed his shoulder. “Eagleheart, know that I owe you my life and that you are so valid. Redbriar and I are gonna make the most beautiful kittens you have ever seen in your honor.”

            “Oh, StarClan, that is _way_ too much information.”

            The golden tom was already scooting his way out of the hollow. “Goodb- ow, my leg! Goodbye! I’ll tell Stormstar everything’s fine. Yeeesssssss! _Yeeeesssssssssss!”_

            Eagleheart heard him whooping and hollering all the way into the distance.

            “I cannot believe I am related to that cat,” Otterscratch grumbled.

            “I can.”

            “Shut up, oyster-ass.”

            “Pfft!”

<> 

            For the next several days Eagleheart busied himself with hunting and exploring. He discovered the area where the forest ended and gave way to massive grasslands unlike anything he had ever seen, with grizzled blue mountains on the horizon. Then he found a large bog broken up by patches of forest. He would have tried his luck at hunting, but then he stumbled across the scent of a mountain lion and decided it was time to leave.

            Boulderfoot had shown him what a mountain lion smelled like not too long ago when they had visited another region of the forest, but Eagleheart hadn’t thought too much about it. He was more impressed by what they supposedly looked like: even bigger than a wolf, with a roar that could shake the sky. Their paws were big enough to kill a cat with a single blow. The tabby would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t want to see one sometime.

            From a distance, of course.

            Unfortunately, he didn’t get to see one, because thanks to Otterscratch’s distance from the clan his body decided to finish it up early. On the morning of the eighth day of their trip away from home the smaller tom came barreling out of his den with an elated _“I’m freeee!”_

            Eagleheart was immensely relieved his friend was feeling better; he knew Fireflower and Softstep had to be worrying about him. Also, he could not count past nine even if his life depended on it.

            He had Otterscratch eat a day-old vole and roll in deer droppings to disguise the leftover heat-scent, and then they headed off back to clan territory. Along the way they hunted until they could carry no more prey. At the clan border they had to bury some of it so they could catch even more to bring back to camp.

            “By StarClan’s hairballs, we better get treated like the heroes we are when we bring all this back,” Otterscratch groaned, huffing for breath as he dragged two rabbits and a squirrel along the ground.

            Eagleheart nodded in agreement.

            Sadly, they did not any special treatment once they stumbled on down to the cave other than Stormstar and Rainfeather thanking them. Everybody else was still focused on each other in ways Eagleheart tried to not think about too much.

            “There you are!” the clan leader said happily, kissing their cheeks. “Thank you for your hard work, both of you. I swear, this lot has been downright _useless_ these last few days.”

            “You’re lucky I’m too old for kits now, or I would have smacked you,” Rainfeather said dryly. The older warrior wasn’t angry at all, though, and merrily shoved against Stormstar as she trotted off down the cliff path.

            “We have more buried at the border,” Eagleheart told Stormstar.

            The black she-cat waved her tail. “I’ll tell the next patrol to get it. Otterscratch, go find Fireflower so she knows you’re alive. She’s at the beach.”

            “Alright, alright,” he grumbled, but he eagerly galloped off to go find his mother.

            Stormstar bumped his shoulder as they strolled after Otterscratch. “Redbriar and I were a little concerned when you two didn’t come back when Softstep did. Was it really just a hunting trip, Eagleheart?”

            Her amber eyes were unusually serious, and Eagleheart swallowed nervously. He hated keeping secrets from anybody, but he knew that this one was not his to tell.

            “I’m sorry, Stormstar. Otterscratch alone has the right to tell others. Nobody’s in any danger, I promise, but…” he trailed off, at a loss for words.

            The clan leader wasn’t pleased with that, he could tell. Stormstar looked down at him disappointedly before sighing. “Very well. But I do expect Otterscratch to come forward about this sometime soon.”

            “He will,” he promised her.

            An excited yowl made Stormstar brighten up. It was Dustypool, who galloped over to them with something large and rosy pink in her jaws.

            She set it down and shook off her wet fur. “Found something for the nursery.”

            “An entire conch shell? A good omen, if what Petrelswoop likes to ramble about is correct,” Stormstar said. “We can expect many strong kits in a couple moons.”

            “Help me drag this thing up, my jaws already hurt. And hi, Eagleheart!” Dustypool said around a mouthful of shell. Stormstar, who was quite a bit bigger, simply picked up the conch shell herself and marched up the path. Dustypool squeaked in indignation and raced after her.

            Eagleheart chuckled and continued on down to the beach. The sand was cool and soft beneath his paws. Ahead, the ocean rolled up restlessly on to the land in cold sheets, broken by the rocks that littered the shoreline.

            As the sun was out, many cats had migrated down to the beach to sunbathe. On one of the rocks were Softstep and Redbriar, shamelessly cuddled up against each other. As quietly as he could, he snuck up to them before prodding Redbriar’s foot and diving for cover.

            The torbie jumped with a squeal and whipped around to glare at the offending intruder. When she saw it was Eagleheart she shrieked again and jumped on him.

            “Don’t ever leave on some stupid trip without telling me first!” she demanded, covering his face with rough licks.

            “Yes, sister dear.”

            _“Ugh._ Softstep, tell my brother how stupid he is!” Redbriar demanded.

            “I told you she’d be mad!” Softstep snickered.

            Eagleheart didn’t argue with him; he knew the golden tabby was grateful for staying with Otterscratch until his heat died down. He stuck his tongue out at them and jumped up to a larger adjacent rock, occupied by Shadowstep, Aukletflight, and Spikeclaw.

            Spikeclaw flashed him a toothy grin, oversized fangs making her look slightly sinister. “If it isn’t my favorite boy! You’ve saved me from listening to these two howling out in the forest another night.”

            Shadowstep groaned and covered his face under his paws. “Sister, please.”

            Beside him, the sprawled-out pile of fur that was Aukletflight snickered.

            “You didn’t take a mate?” Eagleheart guessed.

            “Oh, I did. A loner passed by a few days ago, and he was a _fine_ hunk of muscle, let me tell you. He could have passed for a TideClan warrior any day of the moon. And _talented,_ good spirits of StarClan-“

            “Spikeclaw.”

            The skinny black-she cat flicked her tail over her brother’s ears. “Buzzkill. Anyways, I won’t be missing out on all the fun in a few moons.”

            “So that just leaves you, Dustypool, and Otterscratch. Maybe we’ll see some more kittens over the summer?” Redbriar called over.

            “Oh, leave him alone,” Aukletflight scolded. “Not every cat wants to start a family so young like we did.”

            Eagleheart shot her a look of gratitude. “Besides, who better to look after your kits when you and Softstep go on patrol or need a break?”

            “True. There’s no cat I would trust more to look after my litter,” Redbrair said primly. She folded her paws over themselves and lifted her head to warm her face in the sun. Softstep stared at her with a goofy expression on his face, like he was gazing at a spirit of StarClan.

            _Best of luck to you, Softstep,_ he thought.

 


	22. Chapter 22

            The following morning Eagleheart got woken up by Oceansong prodding his side.

            “Dawn patrol,” the blue-gray tom told him. With a grunt, Eagleheart hauled himself up and padded after the older warrior.

            The morning was cold and damp, with dark gray clouds spotting the sky above them and frost coating the grass and trees. The two toms were soon joined by Gullcry, Acornfall, and Falconflight. Together, they all headed into the forest and made for the border.

            “Stormstar’s _killing_ me,” Acornfall groaned, stretching out a hind leg as he walked. “This is the third dawn patrol I’ve done over the last few days!”

            “Want me to nag Rainfeather for you?” Oceansong offered dryly.

            “I’m not a kit, I can do it myself!” the tabby squawked.

            “Sure.”

            Falconflight huffed, muttering something about Stormstar under his breath. Eagleheart gave him a nasty look. The older tabby tom glared right back at him, like he was silently daring Eagleheart to challenge him to a fight.

            Eagleheart looked away, tail twitching in annoyance.

            Nobody talked much for the rest of the patrol. When none of them found anything unusual along the territory boundaries they made a beeline for camp and split up to go about their day.

            In the shelter of the cave, he spotted Stormstar and a few other warriors gathered together in a loose circle. Rainfeather, as usual, was seated to the clan leader’s right, broad silver head glinting in the shadows.

            She spotted Eagleheart and beckoned him over with a tilt of her head.

            “Since the snow is almost gone we will be leaving for the Recruiting,” the old deputy told him. “Stormstar wants you to come. We leave in just a few moments”

            Eagleheart sat up straighter, surprised and feeling rather flattered. Usually the trip was for more experienced warriors, but if Stormstar wanted to bring him along for this he wasn’t about to complain.

            The clan leader acknowledged him with a quick nod before returning to her conversation with Sunmist. She didn’t seem to be annoyed with him anymore about Otterscratch, so he let himself relax in the company of the older cats.

            Among Stormstar’s chosen party was Boulderfoot, Sunmist, Rainfeather, himself, and of course, Stormstar. Eagleheart couldn’t help but think that maybe choosing the biggest, strongest, most fearsome warriors to invite new cats into TideClan wasn’t the best idea. Then again, maybe that’s why they were bringing him along.

            Just as Stormstar stood to lead the group out of the cave Redbriar came trotting in, a fat lemming in her jaws. When she saw Eagleheart she raised her tail to say hello, but when she saw the party she blinked in surprise and went over to him.

            “What’s going on?” she asked, dropping the lemming at her paws.

            “Stormstar’s chosen me for the Recruiting!” he explained excitedly. “Isn’t that great?”

            “What? Why wasn’t I invited?” she demanded, flattening her ears.

            “I dunno. Sorry. I’ll see you later!” Eagleheart galloped after Sunmist, who gave him an impatient huff for holding up the rest of the group. Together, they all climbed the steep path to the forest and set a swift pace towards the twoleg colony.

            He fell into step with Boulderfoot, who was keeping a remarkably quick pace despite his age. For the first time, Eagleheart saw a few silver streaks beginning to creep up his muzzle, a symbol of wisdom and perseverance by TideClan standards. Blossompelt, the oldest of them all, had so much silver in her dark tortoiseshell fur it looked like she had been snowed on. Even the other elders treated her like a second deputy, save her mate Foggywave, who liked to tease her about her fleas.

            “How are warrior duties treating you?” Boulderfoot asked cheerfully.

            “Good, thank you,” he said automatically. Then he remembered what had happened on the patrol yesterday, with Falconflight’s semi-open display of hatred for Stormstar. “Ah, Boulderfoot? Yesterday I was on Acornfall’s patrol, and I heard Falconflight say some rather… unflattering things against Stormstar. I know he’s been through a lot, but the way he looks at her sometimes…” he trailed off, uncertain.

            The big black tom looked down at him with furrowed brows. “He was one of the many cats who opposed Stormstar coming into power. Granted, they did because of her young age, but he hasn’t challenged her at all since.”

            “Have you talked with him lately? Especially after Grassbug died?”

            “No…” Boulderfoot said quietly. He seemed lost in thought after that. For the rest of the morning, Eagleheart didn’t bring up Falconflight again.

            The lack of snow made travel much easier, and by the time the sun was just past its highest point in the sky Eagleheart caught a whiff of the unmistakable odor of the twoleg colony. He exhaled through his nose to drive out the smell, surprised at how disgusting he found it since the last time he had been there.

            Sunmist smirked at him. “Much worse now that your nose healed up after you got away from all that nasty twoleg stench. I pity every single house cat in that colony who has to live with it day in and day out.”

            “Brave souls. I’ve met some that even live with dogs,” Rainfeather added.

            _“Live_ with dogs?” Eagleheart said in disbelief. Running into one was stressful at best. Living with one was completely insane, at least in his opinion.

            “Indeed. Granted, most of them grew up alongside the beasts, so I suppose it’s different that way,” the deputy pondered.

            “I’d rather bite my own ballsack off,” Boulderfoot snorted.

            “Ha!”

            Stormstar laughed from the head of the group before signaling them to stop. “Alright, team. Sunmist, you head south. Rainfeather and I will take the north. Boulderfoot, you take Eagleheart with you and show him how it’s done.”

            “Whoo!” Eagleheart bounced after Boulderfoot as the warriors split up. Excitement made his ears tingle, and he picked up the pace as he wondered who would be coming back to TideClan with them in a moon or so. With luck, they’d be bringing at least three cats to become new warriors or apprentices.

            Boulderfoot leapt up on a narrow wooden fence and balanced effortlessly on its edge. He scanned the area, jaws parted slightly to better catch the scent of other cats. Eagleheart bunched his legs underneath him and leapt up to join him.

            “Lola- you remember Stormstar’s friend, yes? Anyways, she told us of a den with two promising contenders not far from her place. Let me do most of the talking,” Boulderfoot told him. The older tom started off down the fence, with Eagleheart awkwardly following him and wobbling every few steps.

            Luckily, they made it to Lola’s twoleg den without any accidents. The molly herself wasn’t in the yard, but a small ginger kitten with curiously folded ears was joyously leaping after a moth, collar tinkling merrily in the crisp air.

            “Hey, young kit!” Boulderfoot called. The kitten stopped and looked up at Boulderfoot in surprise. When he saw how big the dark warrior was he gave a little squeak of terror.

            “Easy there, son. We’re friends of Lola’s. Is she around?” Boulderfoot asked gently.

            “U-uh, yes. Do you want me to get her?” the ginger tom stuttered.

            “That would be great, thank you.”

            The little house cat all but flew back into the house through the cat door.

            “Interesting little fellow. What’s wrong with his ears?” Boulderfoot asked, head tilted.

            “Oh, he’s a Scottish Fold,” Eagleheart explained. “I met a few when I was a show cat. Their ears are supposed to be flopped over. And yes, they can hear just fine. I asked this one queen about it once and she nearly took my tail off-“

            The cat door banged open and Lola came racing out, meowing a greeting when she spotted Boulderfoot and Eagleheart. “Warriors of TideClan! How’s the shoreline?”

            “A lot less miserable now that we don’t have to wade through snow if we so much as want to take a dump,” Boulderfoot chuckled. “I am Boulderfoot, and this is Eagleheart, one of our newest warriors. We were hoping you could point the way to the cats you told Stormstar about just a few moons ago.”

            “Oh, yeah! Just go down a few more roads, and then it’ll be a yellow house on your right. They’re a father-daughter pair,” Lola told him.

            Boulderfoot nodded. “Thanks, Lola. Tell that little kit-friend of yours we said hello.”

            “Ha! Biscuit will get a kick out of that. Good luck, you two.” Lola dipped her head in respect and trotted back to her den.

            With that, Boulderfoot took the lead again, leaping down from the fence and trotting alongside the ditch beside the road. Eagleheart followed him eagerly, glad to not be on that darn fence any longer. Fat cats and narrow fences didn’t mix well.

            They crossed a narrow dirt-road that led up to another twoleg den. Stretched out in front of it was a little gray tabby, face turned up to catch the weak sunshine coming in through the clouds above. When he spotted Eagleheart his hackles went straight up, and when he saw Boulderfoot walking alongside the dark tabby he all but leapt into the air and made a beeline around to the back of his twoleg den. In the window of the same house, a brown tabby with a white muzzle stared at them anxiously.

            Eagleheart stared. “Um, Boulderfoot?”

            The black-and-white tom sighed. “Come over here.”

            Eagleheart followed Boulderfoot to a puddle that had accumulated at the side of the road. The older warrior nodded to it. Confused, Eagleheart peered into it and froze.

            The tabby had seen his reflection before a few times, but not since winter began. The massive tom looking back at him had a broad forehead and muzzle, with a notched ear making him look even fiercer. His kitten fluff was no more. Green eyes widened when he saw that his winter coat made his whole body seem even bigger than it was. A few scars littered his huge shoulders, reminders of the battle against the rogues that had happened last summer.

            He looked… well. He looked scary.

            “Oh,” was all he said.

            Boulderfoot nodded. “Clan life does this to cats. To house cats and even some rogues, we are rather… intimidating. It’s a blessing and a curse.”

            “I don’t want to be intimidating,” Eagleheart protested.

            The black-and-white tom gave him a sympathetic look. “Unfortunately, you don’t have much of a choice. You’re a clan cat, a Maine Coon, _and_ a tom. We tend to grow a bit bigger than the females.”

            “Stormstar’s big,” he mumbled.

            “Stormstar was blessed with an exceptionally large father. Now come. We have some house cats to talk to.”

            Boulderfoot strode off without another word. With one last sad look at the puddle, Eagleheart bounded after him, wishing he could yowl to the whole world that the terrifying dark tom in his reflection wasn’t him.

            Luckily, his moping got cut short by the smell of two other cats- an older tom and a younger molly. These must be the cats Lola had been talking about, he realized.

            They carefully approached the yellow house and followed the scents to the back part of the place. A shiny fence like the one separating the twoleg colony from the forest encircled the yard and relaxing together in the grass were two large cats.

            The tom was a tabby with a spiraling stripe on both sides, like Eagleheart, except he had white paws and chest. Beside him was a lovely dark calico. Both looked strong and healthy. Eagleheart hoped they would listen to what Boulderfoot had to say.

            The older tabby’s nose twitched, and he looked over and saw the two warriors.

            Immediately he was on all fours, a warning growl bubbling up from his chest. The calico she-cat just looked at them curiously.

            “We come in peace,” Boulderfoot said calmly, as if he wasn’t on the verge of being attacked. “If I may, I bring a message and an invitation.”

            “Who are you two?” the tom demanded with a hiss.

            “I am Boulderfoot, and this is Eagleheart. We are warriors of TideClan.”

            The calico sat up straight. “Dean said there was a group of wild cats in the forest, but I didn’t believe him. Are you one of them?”

            “We live on the shoreline, but yes,” Boulderfoot corrected.

            “Rose, don’t talk to them!” The calico’s father bared his teeth and spat. “You two! Leave right this instant!”

            “Are you kidding me? I’ve only talked to like, two cats other than you in my whole life. I want to meet them.” Rose got up and bounded over to them, tail waving.

            _“Rose!”_

            “Every spring we come to recruit promising cats into our clan. A friend of ours told us of you two, and we came to see if you would be interested,” Boulderfoot told her.

            “What do you guys do?” Rose asked.

            Rose’s father marched over to them, stiff with rage, and Eagleheart got ready to run if the older tom attacked.

            “You’re not taking my daughter anywhere!” he snarled at Boulderfoot.

            Rose glared at him. “Shut up, Zack. I’m an adult, I’ll make my own decisions.”

            Zack stared at her, stunned. Eagleheart felt a little bad for him until he shoved himself between Rose and the warriors. “Get in the house, for both our sakes! _Move_ it.”

            “No.” Rose dug her claws into the ground a rooted herself on the spot. “Boulderfoot, you were saying?”

            Boulderfoot flicked an ear in amusement. “We have our leader, Stormstar, and the rest of us are warriors, apprentices, or elders. Well, we do have two medicine cats, so that is also an option if you’d like. We make our living from the sea, so being able to swim is a must. Oh, and we have even more territory in the forest.”

            “How many of you are there?” Rose said in awe.

            “Oh, about a little over a dozen.”

            Rose stepped away from her father, still not breaking eye contact with Boulderfoot. “And you all do as you please?”

            “Every cat has their duties to serve the clan, but other than that, yes, of course,” Boulderfoot told her.

            _“Wow.”_

            “Rose, these cats are nothing but savages! Dean’s stories have filled your head with feathers and dust. You couldn’t survive out there, not without me!” Zack shouted.

            The calico hissed at him. “You’re so full of it. Ever since Mother went off with that rogue you’ve been unbearable. I’d rather take my chances with the shore than live with you for the rest of my life!”

            Eagleheart swallowed nervously, feeling like he should leave. He and Boulderfoot were splitting up a family.

            “Go, then. You’ll be back before the sun sets tomorrow. I’ll be waiting.” Zack turned and marched away.

            “Don’t bother,” Rose growled, but Eagleheart could tell she was hurting. She shook her head, and then leapt up to the fence with him and Boulderfoot.

            “Sorry we made such a mess. Usually that doesn’t happen,” Boulderfoot apologized.

            “It’s not _your_ fault.” Rose glanced back at her father, and then jumped to the ground on the other side of her yard, green eyes narrowed in determination. She stared in amazement at her paws, and Eagleheart realized that this must be the first time she ever left her territory.

            He joined her and smiled. “It’ll be worth it, I promise. I was a house cat before I joined TideClan, too.”

            Rose’s ears pricked up, and her mane flattened as her anger dissipated. “Then it must be possible for me to become a clan cat as well.”

            Boulderfoot blinked down at her. “Well, normally we wait a moon before bringing recruits in should they change their mind, but I guess we’ll have to make an exception.”

            “Sorry,” the calico apologized.

            “Not your fault in the slightest, my dear. Let’s get going before your twoleg comes to see who was making all that racket.”

 


	23. Chapter 23

            They met back up with Stormstar and the others at the fence.

            Sunmist and Rainfeather were talking about one of the former’s grandchildren or something when Eagleheart and Boulderfoot squeezed back under the fence, followed by a panting Rose.

            “-kept trying to fart out a whole tornado, I swear. Granted, she was pregnant, but still…” Sunmist trailed off when she spotted Rose plopping down next to Eagleheart.

            “Why, hello,” Stormstar said, looking pleasantly surprised.

            Rose stared at Stormstar with her jaw hanging open. “U-Uh, um, um-?”

            “Everyone, meet Rose. She had to leave a tad early for… family reasons,” Boulderfoot announced, waving his tail for emphases.

            “A tad?” Sunmist grunted. “I don’t want to drag any newcomer back so soon after winter. Pelt’s not thick enough.”

            Rose looked around at each of them, crouching anxiously in the dead grass like she was just now realizing she was surrounded by wild cats who were all very big and strong and could kill her if they wanted. Eagleheart remembered how that felt. He reached over and patted the molly’s black paw.

            Stormstar padded over and sniffed at her, making the calico jump. She was a bit small for a Maine Coon, with a less impressive ring of fur around her neck, but she shared the same broad muzzle and head with Eagleheart.

            “How old are you?” Stormstar asked.

            “Two season cycles,” Rose stammered, still gazing up at the clan leader with that strange look in her eyes.

            “Alright, then. Is it your wish to come to TideClan with us?”

            “Y-Yes,” Rose whispered.

            “Excellent. Do try and keep up.”

            Sunmist sighed.

            Signaling to the rest of the patrol that it was time to go, Stormstar trotted ahead and led them back into the forest.

            The thick gray mass of clouds that had been building up all morning finally let loose. Thick water droplets fell from the sky, pattering through the leaves and pine needles before dumping on to the cats traveling underneath them. The plush moss that Eagleheart had missed dearly over the winter was beginning to grow back, he noted happily, slowly but surely coating the forest floor and tree trunks in soft shades of deep green.

            Within a few moments the scents and sounds of the twoleg colony completely faded away, leaving only the clear richness of the hemlocks and pines that filled Eagleheart’s chest with fresh air. In the distance, thunder rumbled like the monsters twolegs commanded, and he could see dark clouds through the branches.

            Rose slipped over to him, tufted black ears flattened against her head. “Ooh, I really do not like storms.”

            “Don’t tell that to the elders, girl,” Sunmist snorted. “Storms are considered good omens in this clan. According to legend, thunder is the sound of the spirit of Tide purring, for she sees that good things will come to us.”

            Eagleheart’s ears pricked. “Tide? As in…”

            “The founder of TideClan, yes. Have you not heard this one yet, Eagleheart?” Sunmist asked dryly. “Probably slept through it.”

            “Sorry, Sunmist,” he said sheepishly.

            “Tide?” Rose peeped, confused.

            “Eagleheart, ask Blossompelt if she could tell it to you and Rose tonight. She’s the cat for the job,” said the older queen.

            “Nah, Jumpingbird was definitely the best storyteller, may StarClan rest his soul,” Boulderfoot murmured fondly.

            “Jumpingbird’s dead ass can come fight me.”

            The two senior warriors dissolved into playful bickering. Rainfeather waited for a lull in the argument before nipping at Boulderfoot’s flank. Boulderfoot jumped and took off after the fleeing deputy, followed by Sunmist yowling a challenge to them both, and then Stormstar chased after her mother pleading for her to slow down before she ruined her hip again.

            Eagleheart remained with Rose, who looked a little overwhelmed by all the warriors’ antics. “A-Are they always like that?”

            He laughed. “No. Everybody’s just been in a good mood because of spring.”

            “Oh, okay.” Rose shook herself, spraying water that had collected in her thick fur everywhere. “Sorry, I’m just… not used to so many cats.”

            “Your father really didn’t let you go out that much, huh?” he asked quietly.

            “He was a little… controlling. It’s just… he expected me to follow in his every pawprint, listen to every word he had to say. It was exhausting.”

            Eagleheart stared ahead, something rolling over in his stomach. He felt like he was missing something, but as for what it was, he just could not place it.

<> 

            They traveled well into the night.

            Thankfully, Eagleheart knew his sleeping schedule wouldn’t be messed up. As the length of daylight increased and the nights became less chilly, it would no longer be dangerous to stay awake to hunt and roam under the stars. TideClan cats liked to be active when the sun was up primarily because summers were short and winters were long and cold, but for about five moons they would enjoy the warmth of both night and day.

            When they finally arrived at the cliff’s edge the sea was glittering with the light of the silver moon. Countless stars stretched in a band across the sky, with swirls of darker colors within it like dark splotches on a tortoiseshell’s pelt. Even more stars stretched for as far as Eagleheart could see, only hidden behind a few clouds that had been left behind when the storm from earlier in the day had moved on.

            Rose stopped dead in her tracks, green eyes as round as the moon.

            “Magnificent, isn’t it?” Eagleheart asked.

            “Oh, _yes,”_ she breathed.

            “Welcome home, Rose.” Stormstar looked back over her broad shoulder and flicked her tail. “Come, let me show you the cave.”

            The calico scrambled after the clan leader, kicking up pebbles and sand as she skidded down the path to the cave. Sunmist watched her with an amused look on her face, like she knew something nobody else did.

            The clan was gathered in a loose curve in the cave, talking and eating. A large pile of fish rested in the center, and next to it sat only a slightly smaller pile of bones and fish heads, glinting in the light of the moon. Grassbug’s kits, now just a few days away from being apprentices, leapt around and wrestled, still kitten-soft but already beginning to show developing muscle all over.

            Several heads picked up as more and more cats caught Rose’s scent. The calico’s hackles and tail fluffed up in terror as she seemed to realize that a single patrol of warriors wasn’t actually that much in comparison to the whole clan. Eagleheart gently touched the tip of his tail to her back, silently encouraging her to calm down.

            “Cats of TideClan, meet Rose. She had to be brought home ahead of time for personal reasons, so until we bring home the rest of the recruits she will be staying with us as a guest,” Stormstar explained.

            A swell of murmured greetings filled the air. Out of the corner of his eye, Eagleheart saw Blossompelt whisper something to Foggywave, who pinned an ear back in displeasure. He caught the words “tradition” and “illegitimate recruiting”. The next time Blossompelt looked his way he gave her a stern look, and the elderly tortoiseshell huffed at him.

            Rose managed to relax as the clan settled back down, and she let Eagleheart lead her over to the other younger warriors.

            Spikeclaw and Aukletflight bounded forward to greet her, with Softstep a heartbeat behind them. Shadowstep followed a short moment later. Redbriar bumped Rose’s shoulder as she passed the smaller calico, but didn’t stop to say hello, much to Eagleheart’s annoyance. While the others were talking with Rose he slipped into the warriors’ den behind his sister.

            Redbriar didn’t seem to know she had been followed until Eagleheart cleared his throat. She looked back, and tufted ears pricked up when she saw him at the entrance. “Eagleheart! How was the twoleg colony?”

            “It was good. You didn’t say hello to Rose,” he accused.

            “Oh, that’s her name? She seems nice,” the torbie said absently.

            He gave her a look.

            Redbriar scoffed. “Sorry for being a little out of it, brother, when Petrelswoop confirmed me pregnant this morning!”

            _“What?”_ he all but shrieked. Redbriar jumped over to him and slapped a paw to his mouth, hissing for him to be quiet.

            “It’s a surprise. I’m going to tell Softstep tomorrow,” she said excitedly.

            Eagleheart was already jumping up and down, so happy he felt like his fur was going to fly off. “You’re pregnant! You’re _sure?_ How can you tell?”

            “Smell me.”

            He leaned in and sniffed her all over. Sure enough, there was a soft dusty smell that lingered on her dark russet-and-gold fur, barely there but still noticeable.

            “Holy Starclan,” he breathed.

            Redbriar swelled up with pride. “I know, right? Petrelswoop says I might have three or four because of how fast I’m progressing.”

            “Redbriar, that’s _incredible.”_ His throat felt thick.

            “I know.” She pranced by him, tail waving proudly. “Let’s share a rabbit, because I am so damn hungry.”

            Rose spotted him and immediately scampered over, securing her place on his other side. “Oh, who’s this?”

            “Rose, meet Redbriar, my sister. She’s one of the best fighters in the clan,” he said.

            Redbriar lifted her chin. “Welcome to TideClan.”

            “Thanks,” the calico said shyly.

            His sister ended up grabbing a rabbit from the prey pile for the three of them to share. Rose stared at him, Redbriar, and then the rabbit.

            “Um… do I just-?”

            “Yes, just rip a chunk out,” Redbriar said patiently. “Watch out for the bones, though.”

            “Oh, okay.” Rose tentatively nibbled at a hind leg before gaining enough confidence to pull out a mouthful. Her face lit up in delight. Eagleheart could relate; he remembered the first time he had tried fresh meat.

            He spotted Blossompelt relaxing next to Foggywave, Thistlefeather, Petrelswoop and Bluepaw, and he remembered the tale of a mysterious she-cat Sunmist had mentioned earlier.

            “Hey, Blossompelt!” he called. “Could you tell the story of Tide again? Seems fitting, because of that storm and all.”

            “Bah, that wasn’t a _real_ storm! Just wait until summer, boy.” Blossompelt shuffled to her feet and made her way to the front of the crowd. “But every cat knows any night is a good night for a legend like Tide.”

            As the elder made herself comfortable, the clan quickly fell silent. Even the kits calmed down and curled up next to Mousefoot. Eagleheart accidentally locked eyes with Bluepaw, and the medicine cat apprentice blinked warmly at him. The small tom glanced over at Petrelswoop, who had his back turned, and then quickly slunk over to Eagleheart.

            “Our story begins many, many season cycles ago, when even the twolegs were just getting settled into their new colony. And when they did, some housecats and rogues that no longer wished to live in their company left for the forest. They formed groups that changed over time as they learned to live outside of the colony. The rogues fought often, and many lives were lost as they figured out how to work together, but slowly but surely, they eventually migrated to the coast,” Blossompelt began.

            “Nobody really knows what made the first clan cats settle into this cave. Some say that the sea itself called to them, spoke in their heads and hearts. Others said that it was just chance. But there was one thing that remained true through every retelling of this story- the courage and wisdom of a molly named Tide.”

            Eagleheart leaned in, eyes wide.

            “This one’s my favorite,” Bluepaw whispered in his ear. “Because Tide was the master of awesome shenanigans.”

            The tabby snorted.

            “Only the strongest and most durable cats stayed on the cliff, learning how to fish and swim. One of those cats was Tide- quit wiggling your ass, Darkpaw, you look like a caterpillar.”

            Darkpaw giggled from somewhere behind Aukletflight.

            “Anyways. Tide was the strongest and smartest of them all, and the most beautiful. Her pelt was as silvery as moonlight, and her eyes were the color of the ocean. When she swam, it was like the water itself rejoiced, pushing her along when she grew tired. Indeed, the ocean loved her enough to never let her drown.” Blossompelt’s eyes were closed, like she was recalling a dream. “The others of her group saw this, and her cleverness, and suggested to her that she lead them.”

            “Tide liked that idea very much, but there was some opposition to her leadership- the cats that made their home in the forest. They had their own champion, a black-and-white tom called Talon. Talon was powerful and an efficient leader as well, but he was cruel. Many died because of his bloodlust. He wanted to rule both the forest and the coast, and so when he heard of Tide’s rise to power he sought her out and challenged her to a blood duel.” Blossompelt’s cheerful tone had faded. “She accepted, if only because she could not hand over the cats of the sea without a fight. Tide was strong, but Talon was older and much more experienced. She was very afraid and could not bring herself to return to the cave that night.”

            The entire clan was dead silent.

            “She found herself walking along the coast, her paws seemingly having a mind of their own. Some strange force was driving her forward, and even though she did not know what it was, she somehow knew that she was going in the right direction. A few retellings of the legend say that the stars above spoke to her and told her where to go. Personally, I believe Tide made her way to the Mooncave out of her own free will.”

            The kits gasped excitedly.

            Blossompelt’s ear flicked in amusement. “Tide went deeper and deeper into the cave, following the smell of water. When she found the glowing star-pool for the first time, she was so awestruck by its beauty that she immediately backed away, as the young molly was afraid of somehow tainting it. But curiously eventually won over, and she stepped into the water. Immediately she felt more at ease, as she was a true warrior of the sea, and fell asleep.”

            “When she awoke, it was not to the mortal world, but in StarClan, the _first_ clan of cats to ever walk reality as we know it. Nobody knows how they came to be, only that the cats who had died early on in the formation of the two groups were the first spirits to join it. And one of those cats approached Tide as she stepped on to the heavenly shore.” The elder’s voice grew distant and dreamy. “It was her mother.”

            Lightningpaw squeaked in joy beside Darkpaw.

            “Tide’s mother had died defending her and her siblings from Talon’s second-in-command, a ferocious queen named Lilith. But here she was, looking as young and strong as Tide remembered her. The younger molly could hardly believe it!”

            “‘Mother, is that truly you?’” Blossompelt then asked, mimicking the voice of a younger cat. “‘But how?’”

            “Tide’s mother smiled. ‘I am the queen who birthed you, am I not? My daughter faces her darkest hour and the most difficult challenge of her life. What kind of mother would I be if I didn’t come to support her?’”

            “’There is not much you can do for me, Mother, other than saving me a nest for when I arrive here.’ Tide laughed at that. ‘I wish I could say differently. But I am not strong or smart enough to defeat Talon, not without giving my own life. I am prepared to do so, of course, but I am still so scared!’”

            “Tide’s mother just cuffed her upside the head. ‘Foolish girl. We did not bring you here for the hell of it! Come. It is time you become the _true_ leader of the cats of the sea.’”

            “’The… true?’ Tide managed, head spinning, but she followed her mother up to where eight other cats were waiting. She recognized them- one of her brothers, who had died very young, her uncle, several of her mother’s friends who had fought alongside her until her dying breath and treated her like one of their own.”

            “And so Tide received her nine lives: Wisdom, Perseverance, Loyalty, Patience, Sympathy, Honesty, Kindness, Humility, and Love. She became Tidestar, and StarClan named her cats in her honor- TideClan, the warriors of the water.”

            “That morning she ran back to the cave and told her comrades everything. They didn’t believe her at first, but when they all looked into her eyes and saw that she had been telling the truth, they all rallied to her and followed her into the forest to face Talon.”

            “This is my favorite part,” Bluepaw whispered to Eagleheart.

            “When Talon saw Tidestar coming, her clan on her heels, he just laughed. ‘You are young and foolish, little Tide. Less blood could have been spilled if you had just surrendered, but I suppose we’ll be doing this the hard way!’”

            “’My name is Tidestar,’ the new clan leader said. ‘And the spirits of our ancestors have come to me in my dreams and given me nine lives. I am the leader of these cats by both the will of the stars and the people. Ask any warrior who follows me, and they will confirm that I am telling the truth.’”

            “Talon stared at her. ‘Uh… I’m a little concerned about your mental health.’”

            “’Yeah, me too.’”

            “They lunged at each other and fought. Some said that the battle lasted into the night, and that they were still fighting when the sun came up. Talon was fearsome in battle, unyielding and unstoppable, but Tidestar fought as if all of StarClan was on her side. They scorched every tree from the coast to the twoleg colony, burned paths into the soil, clawed furrows in stone and wood. It came to an end when the sun reached the highest point in the sky. Tidestar had given it her all, but it hadn’t been enough- she died.”

            “No,” Darkpaw whimpered.

            “Talon roared his victory to the heavens as she breathed her last. TideClan wailed and cried when he dragged her broken body back to where everyone else was waiting, dreading life under the tom. He set her down in front of her second-in-command, a Siberian named Dancer. ‘Here is your mighty leader. Pledge your allegiance to me, all of you, and I will take us into a bright and fulfilling future!’”

            “But Dancer was calm and clever. ‘Wait,’ he said.”

            “Talon stared at him. ‘What?’”

            “Dancer nodded at Tidestar. ‘Just wait’, he repeated.”

            Just a moment later Tidestar came back to life, her wounds healed and energy restored. Talon wet himself and scrambled away; he was so shocked. The silver molly seemed to glow as she stalked towards Talon, green eyes blazing. ‘Going somewhere?’”

           “Talon stared. ‘I am both terrified and aroused.’”

           “Tidestar tossed her head. ‘I’ve been known to have that kind of effect on people.’”

           “Ordinarily Tidestar would have spared his life, but he had caused the deaths of too many cats for her to be merciful. She struck him down right there and then. As soon as he died, his old right-paw, Lilith, approached Tidestar with her neck exposed and begged for the clan leader to take pity on her forces.”

           “’Kill me if you must, it is I that murdered your mother. But spare the others, they only did what they had to do so Talon wouldn’t kill them!’” the tabby queen pleaded.

           “Tidestar could tell that Lilith was being truthful. She told the queen that no more lives would be taken that day, as long as she took her cats to the twoleg colony to settle down there instead of in the forest.”

           “’But we want to stay in the forest!’ Lilith protested, hackles spiking in anger. ‘You can’t just banish us from our own home!’”

           “’Sure I can. You killed my mother, my friends, my comrades. As long as two clans live in the same forest there will always be needless bloodshed. When your gang has a leader that is wise and kind, come back to the forest. But for now, you all shall go.’” Tidestar raised her head, asserting her dominance over all of the other cats.

           “Lilith swallowed her pride and took her cats to the twoleg colony, and Tidestar and her warriors returned to the cliff. Her reign lasted for many season cycles, possibly more than any cat had ever lived. She mothered many kittens, and through them, the legacy of TideClan will live on forever.”

           The story came to a close, and the whole clan erupted into cheers. Aukletlflight and Redbriar started a chant of “Blossompelt! Blossompelt!” until the elder herself batted the two she-cats away, complaining about youngsters always making too much noise, but there was an unmistakable chuckling rising from her chest as she led Foggywave and Thistlefeather back into the elders’ den.

           Eagleheart watched Darkpaw and Lightningpaw get bundled off to get some rest by their mentors. He watched, and couldn’t remember a time when he was happier.

           But as he followed Spikeclaw and Otterscratch down to the beach for a quick fishing trip, realization hit him like a blow.

_Those cats Tidestar banished from the forest…_

          He suddenly understood Thicket’s dreams of ruling the coast and the forest. His colony… they weren’t just trying to invade and cripple TideClan.

          They wanted to come home.

 


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the wait, my dudes! Even if this fic doesn't get as much attention as TPON I'm glad at least a few of you like it. If y'all could leave me some comments on how you feel about TideClan, that would make my day.

            The next morning Eagleheart tracked down Bluepaw and told him about his dream about Thicket and the possible connection between his colony and the cats Tidestar had driven out of the forest.

            But the medicine cat apprentice didn’t look convinced. “Cats in twoleg colonies come and go all the time, Eagleheart. And even if Thicket’s gang are the descendants of Lilith and her cats like Thicket claims, why would they care about coming back to the forest? That happened _ages_ ago.”

             “I don’t know. But Nightstar had to have showed me that vision for some reason, right? Thicket really believes that his colony belongs here. I think he wants to finish what Talon started; rule both the coast and the forest,” Eagleheart explained anxiously.

            “Why would Thicket care about Talon? Unless he had kits… you don’t think Talon could be Thicket’s ancestor?” Bluepaw asked, brows furrowing.

            “I wouldn’t be surprised.”

            Bluepaw was silent for a long moment before saying, “But we don’t know how accurate the legends are. For all we know, Talon was a she-cat and Lilith’s followers didn’t even go back to the same twoleg colony.”

            “Then let’s ask,” Eagleheart suggested.

            Bluepaw stared at him as if he’d sprouted another tail. “Ah, what?”

            “You heard me. Let’s go to the twoleg colony and see if any cat knows the same legends we do. That would be proof Lilith’s cats stayed,” the tabby said with a shrug.

            “You can’t just strut up to random cats asking if they’ve heard of Lilith!” Bluepaw spluttered. “Some crazy old stray will gut you just for looking in their direction!”

            “No they won’t, Bluepaw, geez. We’ve been there before a bunch of times and the cats are nice enough. Besides, you should have seen the look on some of the house cat’s faces when Boulderfoot and I came through,” Eagleheart said dryly.

            “What, did you cover yourself in kitten blood?”

            “They looked at us like we did, that’s for sure! Apparently, I’m scary now,” he said, emphasizing the word _scary._ “That’s what I get for being a large Maine Coon in the wild.”

            “You? Scary?” Bluepaw snorted. “The house cats must be losing their edge if they get scared by a fat fluffball with the biggest paws ever.”

            “My paws are perfectly proportional, thanks. Are you coming?” Eagleheart asked hopefully, trying to not look desperate.

            _We are not doing this again, you dumb bastard._

            “Um, I’m actually out with Petrelswoop right now, he’d be mad if I ditched…” the Siamese tom said morosely, big blue eyes partially hidden by dark lashes.

            _Annddd we’re doing this again._

            “Please? I’d look less scary if you were there,” he begged.

            _“Ugh,_ fine. You better be kissing my paws for a _moon_ for this!”

<> 

            Carefully, so that Petrelswoop did not pick up on their scent, Eagleheart and Bluepaw made their way to the edge of clan territory. When no crotchety gray tabbies came barreling out of the brush to yell at them they crossed into the forest beyond and set a steady pace for the twoleg colony.

            The sun was out, the woods were coming back into full bloom, and the air was rich with the odors of growing things and damp soil. Remains of snowmelt left puddles here and there that Eagleheart couldn’t resist a good splash in. Meanwhile, Bluepaw, who wasn’t a big fan of the water, daintily stepped around them.

            “This is all a little far-fetched,” he told the tabby.

            “You’ve told me.”

            “Just checking. Hey, remember the last time we went to the twoleg colony?”

            “Oh, the race!”

            “Yep.”

            The two toms eyed each other.

            “Ready…”

            “Set…”

            “Go!”

            In the end Bluepaw won, of course. He was a natural-born runner, and when there wasn’t snow or brush in his way Eagleheart had seen him build up to truly impressive speeds. It was how he managed to catch more rabbits than any other TideClan warrior.

            They squeezed under the gap in the fence separating the forest from the twoleg colony and made their way to the streets. As it was a nice day, both the house cats and dogs were out and about, carefully minding the other species. More than once Bluepaw got spooked and went flying up a tree at the sound of a dog barking.

            “Great StarClan, Bluepaw,” Eagleheart snorted the third time it happened.

            “Look, I’m small and I can’t talk to other animals. Just bear with me.”

            The dark tabby snickered.

            An old ginger tom they crossed paths with puffed up in fear when he saw Eagleheart, and the younger cat winced and crouched, trying to make himself appear smaller. Bluepaw shuffled awkwardly next to him.

            “S-Sorry, sir. I’m not here to cause trouble, I promise. My friend and I were wondering if you’d ever heard a legend about a bunch of cats that came here from the forest?”

            “No,” the ginger tom mumbled, back still arched. “Don’t know where you’re from, boy, but people might see you and get the wrong idea.”

            “The wrong idea?” Eagleheart asked, confused and a bit sad, but the old tomcat was already on his way.

            “I’m sorry, Eagleheart,” Bluepaw murmured as they continued. “I didn’t know it would be that bad.”

            “I don’t want them to be afraid of me,” Eagleheart mumbled quietly, dragging his paws.

            “I know.” The medicine cat apprentice bumped his head against his shoulder, and Eagleheart felt his ears tingle.

            Bluepaw found a brown-and-white tabby molly and tried to speak to her, but the poor thing was in heat and didn’t care for either of them unless they were interested in… spending the evening with her.

            The toms quickly left after that.

            By the time the sun was beginning to go down they had talked to most of the rogues in the area and a few house cats. Lola and her kitten friend were inside of the twoleg house, so sadly they couldn’t speak with them. None of the others knew of Lilith, or somebody that might until they came across a scraggly white queen with half a tail and scars all over her body.

            “I dunno any wildcats,” she told Eagleheart, who was grateful to have at least one cat not spook at the sight of him, even if it was a creepy old stray like her. “But one of my daughters knows a queen in one of them fancy houses to the east. A real scholar, that one. If any cat would know about some ancient legend, it would be her.”

            “What does she look like?” Bluepaw asked.

            “Colorpoint, like you. Kinda tall. Sparkly collar that jangles,” the old queen rasped.

            Eagleheart nodded. “Thank you. Have a nice night!”

            Excitedly, he bounded off to the east, followed by Bluepaw.

            “It’ll be nice to meet another colorpoint,” the medicine cat apprentice said enthusiastically, trotting along on ridiculously long legs. “You’ll never hold a more intellectual conversation than with a Siamese or a Burmese.”

            “You’ve never even met a Burmese!” Eagleheart snorted.

            “No. But I’m sure they’re smart!”

            The two TideClan cats bickered as they traveled deeper into the twoleg colony. Overhead, the moon rose, a brilliant sliver of light in the night sky. Stars twinkled merrily, and it was mild enough for thin-furred Bluepaw to be comfortable.

            “I missed this,” the smaller tom said quietly. Eagleheart looked down at him in surprise at his sudden change in tone. “You, I mean. No matter where I am, what I’m doing, you’re always in the back of my mind.”

            “Bluepaw,” he said, but the medicine cat apprentice wasn’t done.

            “I know what I did was wrong, Eagleheart. I shouldn’t have drawn you in like that. But what we have-“

            “Bluepaw, you’re a medicine cat,” he said, trying to calm his racing heart. He glanced around nervously, half-expecting Petrelswoop to come flying out of the shadows and scratch his eyes out. “You, we… you took an oath of chastity. We can’t…”

            “Eagleheart?”

            The dark tabby turned to look at him. The white gleam of moonlight traced his fur like a caress, reminding him again that Bluepaw’s destiny didn’t lie with him in the mortal world. He was unattainable, untouchable, but that only made Eagleheart want him more.

            “Eagleheart, do you still have feelings for me?” the smaller tom asked softly.

            “Of course!” he blurted out, trying to quell the blood that rushed through his ears. “You know I care about you, Bluepaw. You had my heart the moment we met on the beach. Which is why I can’t be with you, because you’d risk your title as medicine cat! You’re the most important cat in the clan other than Stormstar.” _And with Petrelswoop on his last stretch of life, you’ll be counted on more than ever sooner than later._

            “No.” Bluepaw came to stand in front of him, ears partially flattened in desperation. “It doesn’t have to be like that for us. The Code of Healers states that a medicine cat cannot take a mate and have kits, but we’re _both toms!_ Don’t you see? We don’t risk having kits, or one of us going into heat and being distracting or keeping another tom off us during the season. There’s absolutely no reason for why we can’t be together.”

            “In battle, if both I and another cat are wounded, who will you immediately want to go to? I can’t risk somebody else dying because I did something stupid and hogged all of your attention,” he meowed sadly.

            “Then I’ll make you a promise.” Bluepaw stood tall, looking Eagleheart directly in the eye. His eyes burned like sea salt in one’s throat. “I swear by StarClan that if it ever comes down to you and another cat getting wounded on the battlefield, I will go to the cat with the more serious injury, as any medicine cat would do.”

            Eagleheart stared down at him, speechless. His heartbeat thudded in his chest, and he could practically feel his pulse in every part of his body, right down to the soft flesh at the base of his claws. Could he really do this? Was he seriously about to risk his and Bluepaw’s honor for the sake of love?

            _Love._

            His sister and Softstep got to be in love. Aukletflight and Shadowstep got to be in love. At one point or the other, practically every cat in TideClan had the opportunity to have a family, to have a soulmate and unashamedly be seen with them by everyone.

            So why couldn’t he? Why couldn’t take a mate like other warriors could? He deserved to love and be loved.

            He deserved to be happy.

            _StarClan above, I am so selfish._

            Eagleheart leaned down to brush his nose against Bluepaw’s. The rest of the world fell away, leaving only them, the light of the moon, and the soft rumbling of the twoleg’s monsters in the distance. The stone path they had been traveling along was completely abandoned, save for the two toms in the shadows.

            “I’ll be yours forever, Bluepaw. Just please, don’t ever choose me over what will make you happy,” he whispered.

            “Why would I have to choose? They’re the exact same thing.” Bluepaw laughed breathlessly, whiskers trembling in the cool night air.

            Eagleheart felt like he was going to spontaneously combust. A fire burned within him and it threatened to consume him whole. It was wild and terrifying and completely out of control, and he never wanted it to end, even when it took everything from him. The cat in front of him was his strength and his weakness, his path to follow and a dream he was forever chasing. It was a leap into the unknown and the fall was lasting an eternity.

            “We’re doing this?” he asked.

            “We are so doing this.”

            He was so happy he wanted to weep. At last, he let himself nuzzle into Bluepaw’s cheek, down his neck, back over his head, all while purring so loudly they probably heard him back at the TideClan camp. The medicine cat apprentice reciprocated so enthusiastically he nearly fell over while snuggling close against Eagleheart. His own raspy purrs made the dark tabby curl his tail around Bluepaw to pull him in closer, and in that moment, everything was perfect.

            Eventually, they pulled away from each other, Bluepaw insisting on finding somewhere to sleep. Eagleheart didn’t even know how tired he was until Bluepaw found a well-insulated bush for them to sleep under. As soon as they curled up with each other his eyes slipped shut almost instantly, and he fell asleep.


	25. Chapter 25

            Eagleheart’s dreams were full of whispering from unknown people and the tangy scent of herbs tickling his nose.

            He woke to the same smell and the sunlight streaming in through newly-grown leaves. It was nice, considering he was more used to waking up in a chilly cave with three other cats on top of him and his face worryingly close to some senior warrior’s rear end. But now all he could feel was Bluepaw’s warmth against his flank and stomach and the soft spring breeze rustling the leaves around them.

            Suddenly very awake, he lifted his head to look down at the smaller tom. Bluepaw was still fast asleep, curled up against his belly fur and purring in his sleep, completely content with the world. The sight alone was enough to make Eagleheart feel like he was floating, but as he began to fully appreciate the trouble they had gotten themselves into, dread started to fill his stomach like a bad piece of prey.

            _StarClan, forgive me for taking Bluepaw from you. But I need him too much. Please, trust me to care for him and to never pull him away from his duty as medicine cat._

            As if said medicine cat knew he was on Eagleheart’s mind he stirred, mumbling sleepily. Two big blue eyes made their appearance, partially hidden by dark lashes of brown. The dark tabby’s heart flipped as Bluepaw yawned, showing off a set of perfect white fangs that glinted in the morning sun.

            “Hello,” he sighed.

            “Hi,” Eagleheart said shyly. He sniffed at the top of Bluepaw’s head before going to work cleaning behind those ridiculously big ears. Bluepaw purred noisily. “From one to nine, how much trouble are we in when we get back after disappearing for over a day without explanation? Just want to prepare myself in case Petrelswoop decided to murder me.”

            “I’ll handle Petrelswoop. We were low on ginger, anyways, so I’ll get some before we go back. He doesn’t like me coming here by myself.” He tossed his elegant, narrow head and pushed himself to his feet, followed by an impressive stretch that sent a line of cracks down his spine like a row of beetles clicking their pinchers.

            Eagleheart tried to not stare and failed. “Uh, yeah, okay. Shall we go find that queen that old she-cat was talking about last night?”

            Bluepaw grunted in approval and slipped out of their makeshift nest, followed by the bigger tom. The two headed in the direction of the rising sun and the bigger twoleg houses just beyond the upcoming hill.

            The old queen they had talked with had been right about the houses- they were huge compared to the ones by the forest’s edge. Redbriar had told him once that twolegs seemed to equate status through how big their dens were, and Eagleheart just thought that was stupid. Bigger dens meant more maintenance and weren’t as cozy.

            What he did like, however, was the larger territories these twolegs with big houses had. A few children played with each other out on the grass, tossing a ball to each other and kicking up mud everywhere.

            “Look at them. They’re so ugly. I love them,” Eagleheart sighed.

            “I don’t. They scream too much.” Bluepaw scampered along the bushes lining one of the fences separating one territory from the other. “Hey, I smell somebody!”

            Eagleheart darted after the medicine cat apprentice and sniffed the shrub Bluepaw was just at. Sure enough, the day-old scent of a cat lingered on it; female, healthy.

            Just then, the door opened with a creak, and the rumbling voice of a twoleg reached Eagleheart’s ears.

            “Up that tree!” he ordered.

            The two toms flew up the trunk of a maple just as a she-cat trotted out of the house. Eagleheart scooted forward to get a better look through the thick branches. As the stray had described, she was indeed a colorpoint wearing a collar that glittered like sunlight off the ocean. She was very beautiful, he supposed, not that he would be a very good judge of that.

            “Wait here, I’ll talk to her,” he whispered to Bluepaw. He leapt down from his hiding spot on to the fence, and when she looked up at him, he raised his tail in a friendly greeting.

            “Why, good morning. Haven’t seen you around before,” the queen said coolly, her voice smooth as ice and indifferent as the sun to the world below. She didn’t look like she wanted him on her fence, but she didn’t tell him to leave, so Eagleheart remained where he was.

            “Good morning. A cat I ran into last evening told me you were the one to go to about the legends surrounding the forest not too far from here, and I came to see if that was true,” Eagleheart told her.

            “The legends, hm?” She seemed to lose some of her cold demeanor. “It’s not often I meet another cat with a taste for the arts. What’s your name?”

            “Eagleheart.”

            The queen tilted her head. “Eagleheart? Quite the name. Pardon my asking, but were you ever a show cat?”

            Eagleheart blinked in surprise. “I was, actually. How could you tell?”

            She huffed in amusement. “You’re a purebred Maine Coon, black classic tabby and of impressive size. Cats like that don’t run around this neighborhood often. Save for me, of course. The name’s Elizabeth.”

            “Nice to meet you, Elizabeth. Do I have permission to come down? I have a few questions I was hoping you’d be able to answer,” he asked.

            “I don’t see why not.”

            Gratefully, he leapt down, relieved to get all his weight off the center of his paws from him balancing on the fence.

            “The legend I had in mind was of the cats that came from the forest many, many season cycles ago,” he began. “They were led by a queen named Lilith. Did they stay in this twoleg colony, or did they leave?”

            Elizabeth looked at him with more interest. “Of course they stayed. Where else would they go? A lot of strays and house cats around here are their descendants, in fact, including that one gang to the west. Complete and utter trash, if you ask me.”

            “They really are the old forest cats,” Eagleheart muttered in disbelief.

            “I suppose. Why did you want to know?”

            “Have you heard of a group of cats that live by the sea?” he asked.

            The queen raised a brow. “What, that kitten’s tale? You can’t be saying…”

            “Oh, they’re real, all right. I’m one of them.” He lifted his head. “I needed to know because their leader, Thicket, is trying to reclaim their old territory, now inhabited by us.”

            Elizabeth stared at him in shock. “That’s impossible. No cat can swim in the ocean and live. We’re just not strong enough.”

            “We’re almost all Maine Coons and Norwegian Fairies,” he explained. “We were bred for the cold and the water. Believe it or not, we do it.”

            “My gods. Wait, ‘almost’ all?”

            “Yep,” a voice from above said. Eagleheart looked up to see Bluepaw drop down from the tree and land next to the tabby. “They’ve got a Siamese, too.”

            “What on- what is a purebred like you doing out there? And where did you come from?” Elizabeth demanded, looking incredulous.

            When Eagleheart saw the look on his face his blood froze. Bluepaw looked absolutely _enraged,_ with his hackles standing straight up and his back arched. In an instant, Elizabeth matched him in stance, hissing furiously.

            “Bluepaw, what’s gotten into you?” he spluttered.

            “Nothing undeserved, my dear Eagleheart,” the Siamese spat. “Considering the fact that this low-life queen was the one to cast me out into the world as barely more than a newborn.”

            “Wh- oh, StarClan, no,” he whispered. “Oh, no, no.”

            How had he not noticed? Bluepaw’s mother was a perfect reflection of him, right down to the long legs and triangular face.

            _This cannot be happening._

            “What are you talking about?” Elizabeth snapped, large ears flattened.

            “You know what I’m talking about! Just over a season cycle ago you birthed a litter, all strong and healthy. But there was one runt that wasn’t keeping up with rest. One day, you decided you had enough of him, and you brought him out to the garden to die.”

            Elizabeth’s eyes grew wider and wider as Bluepaw spoke, and she shrunk back.

            “That’s right. I was that runt. The leader of TideClan, Stormstar, found me and brought me back to the coast to train as their medicine cat. There, I am respected and loved. So I have to ask: _why did you do it?”_ Bluepaw snarled.

            The queen peeled back her lips, exposing surprisingly sharp teeth. “I don’t have to answer to you.”

            “But you will,” Bluepaw growled, lashing his tail. “Eagleheart, pin her down.”

            Without thinking, Eagleheart obeyed. As Elizabeth turned to flee he lunged and tackled her before dragging her back behind the maple tree. He didn’t want her twolegs to see what was going on and attack him and Bluepaw.

            The Siamese queen screeched in anger, and Eagleheart slapped a paw over her slender muzzle to shut her up. “Please calm down! I don’t want to hurt you!”

            Her only response was to bite his paw. Of course, his pads were so tough her teeth hardly broke through, and he was able to keep his grip on her.

            Bluepaw stalked towards his estranged mother and shoved his face close to hers. “You didn’t have to abandon me. The twolegs would have helped you even if you had as many kittens as all the toes on my paws! So why?”

            “I am a show cat, kit,” Elizabeth hissed. “Any kittens I birth must be perfect, or the twolegs might get rid of me!”

            “So you chose fame over your own children, and you don’t even know for sure if the twolegs would have sent you away” Bluepaw said.

            Elizabeth hissed, blue eyes bright with anger. “I’m not going to take that chance, runt! You should have died in the garden with your other imperfect siblings!”

            The small tom’s eyes widened with horror and disbelief. “You killed… oh, StarClan…”

            “How many?” Eagleheart said dazedly. “How many died?”

            “Why should I keep track?”

            Bluepaw stared down at his mother with opaque, empty eyes. Distantly, Eagleheart realized that everything this queen had done went against everything he believed in- healing the injured, strengthening the weak, supporting the disabled.

            “You want fame instead of family? How about you have neither?” Bluepaw asked softly. He sounded completely calm, and ice water ran down Eagleheart’s spine.

            Before he could stop him, Bluepaw lunged and sank his teeth into one Elizabeth’s ears. Shaking his head as hard as he could, he shredded right through the thin flesh and cartilage, spraying blood everywhere. The queen’s screams were muffled by Eagleheart’s paw as the smaller tom did the same to her other ear. Then he slashed at her beautiful face and raked his claws down her muzzle until blood soaked into the dark brown fur.

            “You’ll never be a show cat again,” Bluepaw told her.

            Feeling like his mind was out of his body, Eagleheart released her, and she collapsed into the dirt with shaking gasps. Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.

            Bluepaw watched her for a moment with his face completely unreadable. Then, he turned and jumped up to the fence. “Let’s go, Eagleheart.”

            The tabby didn’t move.

            “Eagleheart?”

            He suddenly remembered how to control his body, and he bunched his legs underneath him and jumped up to Bluepaw. With one last look at the bleeding queen lying motionless under the maple tree, he followed the medicine cat apprentice towards the distant outline of the forest, silhouetted by the sun beginning to go down.

            They did not talk the whole journey back.

<> 

            Bluepaw got chewed out by Petrelswoop the moment they got back to camp, even though he did bring back some ginger for their supplies. Even though he got hissed at by the old gray tabby, Eagleheart did not leave the apprentice’s side, not even when Petrelswoop explicitly told him to leave.

            “Don’t make him go,” Bluepaw mumbled.

            “Why should I listen to what you have to say, you arrogant brat? I have a half-mind to get Stormstar down here and-“

            “I met my mother.”

            Petrelswoop stopped talking, his jaws parted slightly.

            “I met my mother and I made her tell me why she abandoned me,” Bluepaw clarified in that same dead tone. “That’s why I’ve been gone so long.”

            The hostility slowly melted from the old medicine cat’s face. Pale green eyes glanced to Eagleheart, and then back to his apprentice.

            “Do you want to talk about it?”

            “No.”

            For what seemed like moons, nobody spoke.

            “Very well. Eagleheart, go find Stormstar and do what she tells you to do. Bluepaw, come with me. I need to talk to you about something.” Petrelswoop turned and vanished into the darkness of the medicine den.

            Eagleheart bowed and left, trying to quell the ache in his chest at the sight of Bluepaw slumped over on himself like the life had gone right out of him.

            Uneasily, he made the short climb up to Stormstar’s den.

            When he poked his head in, the massive she-cat was curled up in her nest. A kind of uneasiness made his stomach churn when she didn’t react to him coming in.

            “Stormstar? I’m sorry I was gone so long with Bluepaw, you’ll never believe this, but we ran into his mother. It was kind of awful. Um… are you alright?”

            Slowly, Stormstar lifted her broad head like it took all of her strength to do so. She looked him dead in the eye and spread out her front legs like she was trying to keep herself stable. For the first time since he’d met her, the clan leader looked completely lost.

            “Rainfeather is dead,” she whispered.

           


	26. Chapter 26

            She was buried down by the shore.

            Eagleheart stared at the still freshly-turned dirt that marked the spot where the old deputy had been lain to rest. She had been found just that morning, after all. It was dumb, he knew, but guilt churned in every fiber of his being, making him feel like he needed to vomit.

            _You could have been there,_ a little voice said. _You could have saved her._

            _No,_ he protested. _I couldn’t have fought them all off at once._

            It had been some cats from Thicket’s gang; the scent they had left at the scene of the crime had been enough for anybody to make that conclusion. Rainfeather had died as she lived, graceful, dignified, with hardly a scratch on her save the killing bite to her throat. The rogues had shown her some mercy with a quick death, but Eagleheart would have given anything for the great silver tabby to have come home completely beaten up but still alive.

            _It should have been me._

            Unable to stare at Rainfeather’s grave any longer, he stumbled to his feet and made his way back up the path.

            He bumped into Redbriar as he shuffled his way back to the warrior’s den.

            “Sorry,” he mumbled, only half-aware of reality.

            “You should have told somebody before leaving,” his sister said, a hard edge to her voice. “I was worried.”

            “Sorry,” he said again.

            Redbriar grunted, looking extremely displeased. Before she could give him a proper tongue-thrashing, he was saved by Stormstar’s hoarse summon-yowl from outside.

            He followed his sister to where the rest of the clan was gathering.

            Stormstar was up on the boulder, black-and-silver fur whipping around in the wind. Her eyes were shut tight. She looked lonely up there by herself, Eagleheart thought sadly. The clan leader had been close with Rainfeather, perhaps even closer to her than to her own mother.

            “Today we grieve for Rainfeather, the best deputy a leader could ever ask for,” Stormstar rasped, not making eye contact with any of them. “May she be forever honored for her wisdom and patience and find eternal happiness in StarClan. She is succeeded in legacy by her daughter, Dustypool.”

            Eagleheart saw the small white-and-silver molly sitting by her old mentor, Stone-eye, her head hung low in grief.

            “But life goes on, and a new deputy must be appointed. Let StarClan hear and approve my choice.” Stormstar coughed to clear her throat, shaking her head.

            Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Redbriar lean in. The whole clan sat in complete silence. Beside Dustypool, Stone-eye had his usual neutral expression plastered firmly on his face. Eagleheart had no idea what he was thinking. 

            “The new deputy of TideClan will be Boulderfoot.”

            A cheer came from somebody behind him, and then the others joined in, surrounding his former mentor with waving tails and an occasional good-natured shove. The big black tom looked delighted and a little overwhelmed, but he didn’t hesitate to leap up next to Stormstar and take his new place at her right.

            “Of course, she chooses one of her biggest supporters,” Blossompelt grunted, just loud enough for Eagleheart to hear.

            He gave her a look.

            The elder smirked, revealing broken front teeth. “Just saying. Doesn’t matter what I think. I’m gonna be dead soon, anyways.”

            “You’ll live another five season cycles out of spite,” Eagleheart told her.

            “Ha!”

            Stormstar leapt down from the speaking rock with Boulderfoot, drawing the clan meeting to a close. With the sour mood lifted slightly, everybody split off into their usual groups, talking quietly. Boulderfoot rounded up a patrol and went off with them.

            Nobody approached Stormstar as she slipped away to go down to the beach. Not a single cat approached her to offer her approval of her new choice or words of comfort.

            Eagleheart bounded after her. Below, the sea did its ever-churning dance of crashing waves and thunder against wet rocks. It was reliable in the same way it was unpredictable; but he still took no comfort in its chaos.

            He caught up to her in the shallows.

            If she was angry with him, she didn’t show it, but he still made sure to not invade her personal space. A fish startled away from him as he stepped deeper into the water, and he chased it until he managed to scoop it up with one paw and kill it with a bite to the neck. After it stopped twitching he brought it to the shore and hid it under a bush until he was ready to bring it up to the prey pile. When he rejoined Stormstar in the sea, she looked less out of it, which made him feel a little better.

            “Rainfeather was the first cat to believe in me,” she finally said. “Even my mother didn’t think I would be a good leader at first. The night my father died, she brought me down here and told me about her first mate, a tom named Stagstrike. They were both young and arrogant when they became mates, and so Rainfeather didn’t see how abusive he was until he all but clawed her to death one evening, when he lost his temper on patrol. It was something stupid, she didn’t even remember what he was so worked up about. But she still gathered her courage, and whatever was left of her strength, and she fought him back to the cliff’s edge and threw him right over.”

            Eagleheart realized his eyes had gotten wider and wider as Stormstar spoke, and he remembered to blink. He had no idea what to say about something as horrible as that.

            “I was there when it all happened. I was deputy myself at the time, and the moment she got back up after she threw Stagstrike into the rocks below she let out this huge victory cry that seemed to shake the ocean itself. It was then I knew she would be my deputy,” Stormstar said with a smile.

            “She wasn’t sad to have had to do that?” Eagleheart asked in amazement.

            “Rainfeather did feel guilty about killing a clanmate. But Stagstrike didn’t even deserve to be a member of TideClan in the first place, so in the end, she did the right thing.”

            He nodded.

            Stormstar looked to the horizon, where the sun was just beginning to cross over to wherever it went during the night. Fire stained the sky in its wake, tinting the underbellies of clouds pink and violet, and Eagleheart hoped Rainfeather was enjoying the view from StarClan.

            “Wherever those rogues came from, we need to take them out before they kill another TideClan cat,” Stormstar said, almost to herself.

            Eagleheart swallowed and steeled his nerves. “Stormstar, there’s something you should know about those rogues.”

            Hesitantly, he told her about what he and Bluepaw had discovered during their trip to the twoleg colony. When he told her about what Bluepaw had done to his mother, his voice shook, and his hackles stood up as he remembered the queen’s shrieks of pain.

            It was Stormstar’s turn to be shocked. When he finished his story, she just dipped her massive head with a sigh. “Bluepaw has always had a temper; I don’t know why I’m so surprised. I guess I was hoping his training as a medicine cat would help calm him down as he got older.”

            “It would take a lot more than training as a medicine cat to put out his fire,” Eagleheart said wryly.

            “Indeed.” Stormstar stood back up, hindquarters dripping seawater like little waterfalls. Amber eyes were a little clearer as she looked up to the stars. “Thank you for listening to me, Eagleheart. The world needs more cats like you.”

            Eagleheart suddenly remembered what the she-fox had told him what seemed like forever ago. _“Listen. You are very good at that, cat. Your clanmates could use more of people who can listen instead of speak.”_

_They don’t need people who sneak around with a medicine cat, though._

            “I’m sorry I was gone so long. If I had gotten back sooner-” he began, but the clan leader just shook her head.

            “Rainfeather was gone long before the sun even came up. Her death was no warrior’s fault. Now, we must focus on tracking down Thicket’s rogues before they have the chance to take another one of us,” Stormstar said determinedly.

            “Maybe Shadowstep and Spikeclaw know something? Like where Thicket might have more hideouts or even allies,” Eagleheart suggested.

            Stormstar’s tufted ears pricked. “Good idea!”

            She leapt out of the water in several long bounds, followed by a bemused Eagleheart, who had shorter legs and therefore could not leap as far. Together, they hiked back up to the cave and went to go find the two siblings.

            They didn’t find Spikeclaw or Shadowstep, but they did find Otterscratch.

            “You just missed them.” The black tabby flicked a fish spine over his head, looking like his mind was elsewhere. “Spikeclaw’s hellbent on killing as many things as she can before she gets too pregnant to kill things all of the time.”

            “When you see them, could you ask them to report to me if I don’t bump into them first? It’s important,” Stormstar asked.

            “Of course.”

           Otterscratch locked eyes with Eagleheart as the big black molly padded away. He fidgeted nervously, and immediately Eagleheart realized what the other tom was trying to do.

            “Hey, uh, Stormstar?” Otterscratch called uncertainly, a strange tone coming out of the usually prickly and confident warrior. “A word outside?”

            Stormstar turned to look at the younger cat, brows furrowing. “Sure.”

            Eagleheart nodded at Otterscratch and went to go climb the trail to the forest for a hunt, but as he passed Otterscratch reached out to touch his shoulder.

            “Will you stay?” he whispered.

            He nodded. “Of course.”

            Stormstar blinked in surprise when Eagleheart followed her and Otterscratch down to the beach. For a while, the three of them walked along the ocean’s edge, enjoying the moonlight shining off the water.

            “Remember when Eagleheart and I disappeared for awhile at the end of winter?” Otterscratch asked.

            “I was wondering when you were going to tell me more about that,” Stormstar said, flicking her tail when some sea foam got on it. “Your mother didn’t seem too worried, so I figured it could wait.”

            “She covered for me,” the black tabby admitted.

            Stormstar looked down at him expectantly. The shorter tom looked even smaller next to the massive she-cat, and Eagleheart felt a little bad that his growth spurts had slowed.

            “I think it would be easier to get if you just smelled me,” Otterscratch said, sitting as stiff as a log in the sand.

            Inhaling, Stormstar leaned in and sniffed him.

            Otterscratch squirmed fearfully, ears flat against his broad head.

            The clan leader just looked confused. “You smell a lot like your brother, I guess. And ocean. You went swimming today?”

            “Try again. _Really_ pay attention this time,” Otterscratch instructed, his voice wavering.

            Stormstar sniffed him over again, and then she froze.

            There was a long moment of silence. Instinctively, Eagleheart unsheathed his claws, ready to defend Otterscratch if the molly lashed out at him. Granted, Stormstar could probably kill him with a single blow, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to give it his all.

            “Why do you smell like…” Stormstar asked, confusion evident in her tone.

            Otterscratch inhaled shakily. “I’m a tom. But I was born a she-cat; that’s what Petrelswoop thought I was at first.”

            “You were…” Stormstar blinked, one ear flopped over. “Oh! I get it. So that means…” Her eyes widened in horror. “Great StarClan, you’re stuck with the heats. You’ll have to go away every time the females hit their cycle!”

            Eagleheart could see that she was just making Otterscratch more anxious, so he gently herded the smaller tom away from her. “He knows, Stormstar.”

            Stormstar galloped up to them, mouth open to ask something, but Eagleheart gave her a hard look.

            Looking dejected, she followed them back to the cave.

            Otterscratch sniffed as he flopped down next to Eagleheart, which surprised him, as the black tabby usually slept right next to Softstep. Then again, Softstep was probably in the nursery with Redbriar, helping her fix up a nest. “Ugh. Maybe I shouldn’t have told her.”

            “You did great,” Eagleheart promised. “It’s just that she’s not much older than we are, so she’s still… you know. Learning about different kinds of cats.”

            “I don’t want her to _learn_ any more about me,” Otterscratch grumbled, shoving his muzzle under his paws. “Maybe Falconflight’s right about her. She doesn’t have enough experience to be the leader we need right now.”

            Eagleheart stared at him in shock. “Every cat makes mistakes, Otterscratch! Stormstar’s a great leader. She’s always willing to learn more, which is better than an older cat who thinks she already knows everything.”

            “I suppose,” the smaller tom said tiredly. Then his ears pricked up, and he side-eyed Eagleheart with a smirk. “Then again, _you_ would say that.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “Being Stormstar’s favorite and all. I think that she thinks you and your gift are going to help defeat the rogues and save TideClan or whatever,” Otterscratch explained.

            _“What?_ That’s dumb. Defeating Thicket’s gang isn’t going to be the work of just one cat,” Eagleheart spluttered.

            “She likes you because you listen more than you speak. I’d make an extra effort to stay in her good graces if I were you. Boulderfoot won’t be deputy forever, he’s too old,” Otterscratch suggested slyly.

            The bigger tabby blinked. “What do you mean?”

            Otterscratch grinned, all sharp fangs. “Isn’t it obvious, you dummy? Once Boulderfoot retires, Stormstar will choose you as her next deputy!”

            Eagleheart could do nothing but stare at him in complete shock. “A-Are you insane? There are _plenty_ of warriors better suited to be deputy!”

            “Maybe. But everybody really likes you, Eagleheart. You’ve already led several patrols, and you got us two strong warriors from out of nowhere. Not to mention your gift,” the shorter tom added. “StarClan must have given you that for a reason.”

            “Redbriar’s going to be deputy, not me,” Eagleheart said, almost to himself.

            But Otterscratch was already asleep.

            He rested his head on his paws, unable to shut his eyes. Was it true that Stormstar wanted him as her next deputy? Would he ever be ready for a responsibility as enormous as that? It seemed like a burden as heavy as the entire world.

            Eagleheart knew he would serve his clan with every breath he had, with every heartbeat within his body. If by some miracle he did become deputy, what about Redbriar? She wanted it much more than he did.

            With that thought, he drifted off to an uneasy sleep.

           


	27. Chapter 27

            The next day, Grassbug’s kits became apprentices.

            Much to their delight, Flameflash and Eggfur became their mentors, with Flameflash getting to train Featherpaw and Eggfur receiving Doepaw. Thunderstep got the remaining daughter, a brown tabby named Thornpaw. The sisters got bowled over by Lightningpaw and Darkpaw as soon as the ceremony was over, with the two older apprentices excited to have new friends (and other trainees to do chores for them).

            As the temperature warmed up over the next moon, Aukletflight began to show in her midsection. It wasn’t much, because she was already quite large, but Shadowstep took it upon herself to walk her nearly everywhere and make his usually silent presence known. Other than Eagleheart, the only cats allowed to freely approach her without getting glared at were the other two queens-to-be. He didn’t know why he was the only tom exempt from the black warrior’s wrath, but he wasn’t going to complain.

            Spikeclaw was also beginning to sport a round belly, and Eagleheart privately worried whether her stick-thin legs would be able to support her weight. Other than some extra huffing and puffing whenever she climbed the trail to the forest or came back from the beach she seemed to be doing great, so the tabby stopped keeping an eye on her all the time. Getting mauled by an annoyed Spikeclaw was a good way to get an infection; that she-cat did _not_ keep her talons clean.

            The molly who he was focused the most on was of course, Redbriar. The beautiful torbie was easily the most pregnant of the three and was not shy about letting people know it. Softstep, while a bit clumsy when it came to preparing to be a father, more than made up for it with enthusiasm. Of course, with Softstep came Otterscratch, no matter how much the brothers bickered, and so between Eagleheart and the two other toms Redbriar was left wanting for nothing. The usually sharp-tongued warrior actually mellowed out as time went on, which was a miracle in Eagleheart’s eyes. She was still fiery and her attitude left much to be desired, but most of the time Redbriar just preferred to sleep or go for a walk.

            “It happens to she-cats during pregnancy so they aren’t as tempted to do something stupid. Like fighting a raccoon,” Fireflower called over the last sentence towards a still-panting Spikeclaw. The younger queen just rolled her shoulders, looking smug.

            “What can I say? It tried to steal my mouse,” was all she offered.

            The bonus of hanging out with the young queens (and a good portion of why Eagleheart did it in the first place) was that Bluepaw was constantly with them. The healer apprentice was examining them nearly every day, which gave the dark tabby a lot of time to be with him and go with him whenever the Siamese needed herbs from the forest.

            Everything in Eagleheart’s life was just about perfect.

            That is, except for Petrelswoop.

            “Meet me at the dead hemlock tonight,” Bluepaw whispered as he passed Eagleheart on his way into the cave. Eagleheart brushed his tail along the other tom to show that he had heard and continued on his way.

            Just thinking about spending time with the little medicine cat was enough to make his waking hours even better. As soon as the moon came up, Eagleheart slipped away from the crowd of cats who had gathered on the ledge (and Rose, who was getting much better at clan life but still clung to him every now and then) and snuck out to the forest.

            A pair of owls called nearby, deep hoots sending delicious shocks of cold jitters up Eagleheart’s spine. He eagerly picked up the pace and leapt over a log in his path.

            And nearly came right down on Petrelswoop.

            _“Whoa!”_ Eagleheart twisted midair and ended up face-planting into the dirt to avoid landing on the gray tabby. With a pained squeak, he scrambled to all fours and laughed nervously when he saw Petrelswoop standing before him.

            The elderly medicine did not look amused. “May I ask what you’re doing here?”

            “Um… hunting?” he suggested. His voice sounded weaker than he’d like it to be and he winced in uncertainty.

            “I’m not blind, Eagleheart,” Petrelswoop rasped. He stepped closer to the shaking warrior and thrust his face up so that their noses nearly touched. Eagleheart tried to not grimace as he smelled the medicine cat’s rank breath.

            “I-I didn’t-“

            “You didn’t what? You didn’t see me notice how my apprentice can’t stand to be apart from you for more than half a day? Something else other than Bluepaw’s mother happened at the twoleg colony, didn’t it?” he spat. Petrelswoop was _livid,_ pupils slit despite the dark night all around them.

            Eagleheart was shaking in terror. Everything he and Bluepaw had worked so hard for was coming apart! If Petrelswoop decided to tell Stormstar, both of their lives were as good as over. He’d be exiled, and StarClan knew what would happen to Bluepaw. The future medicine cat of TideClan would be torn from his following. Even Stormstar, with all her mercy, wouldn’t hesitate to unleash her rage for a crime as horrible as this one.

            A kind of ugly rage reared up in his gut. It slithered into every muscle and bone in his body, feeling like poison, but when it chased away the fear he didn’t try and fight it. He wouldn’t let _anything_ happen to Bluepaw!

            Eagleheart snarled low in his throat, and he felt his pelt stand on end as his brain told him to prepare for a fight. “You’re not going to do _anything,_ Petrelswoop. I have a gift that was given to me by StarClan, and I will use it to defend the clan and the cat I love. TideClan needs Bluepaw even more, because you’re old enough to drop dead at any time! Now, you’re going to keep your mouth shut about this whole situation. I’m going to keep being with Bluepaw. Understand?”

            Petrelswoop stared at him like he’d punched the elder in the face.

            The dark tabby felt something like guilt worm up underneath his anger, but he shoved it away. Nothing mattered besides keeping Bluepaw’s good name.

            Finally, the gray tabby took a step back, eyes narrowing. “I may not be able to do anything, but StarClan will judge you no matter what happens.”

            “Let them.” Eagleheart lifted his chin in defiance. “When it’s time I will accept their judgement. But while I live, my heart belongs to Bluepaw.”

            Petrelswoop kept his gaze locked with Eagleheart’s for a moment longer, not saying a word. Then, without a sound, he turned and disappeared into the night.

            Heart hammering in his chest, the dark tabby stared after him until he could feel his paws again. One footstep at a time, until he had broken into a full sprint, Eagleheart stayed in the anger-infused haze that had come over him.

            _Oh, StarClan damn it. I’ve ruined everything._

            His breath came in short gasps. As soon as he caught Bluepaw’s scent he poured on the speed and all but smacked into the dead hemlock tree where he was supposed to meet the young medicine cat.

            Bluepaw jumped in surprise at Eagleheart’s sudden appearance and leapt to his feet in delight. “You came!”

            “Petrelswoop,” he gasped. “Trouble!”

            “What?” Bluepaw said, concern slowly overtaking the happiness on his face.

            Eagleheart sucked in a few deeper breaths, willing himself to pull it together. “I ran into Petrelswoop on my way here. He _knows,_ Bluepaw.”

            The smaller tom’s blue eyes went wide in fright. “No. No, _no, no._ Oh, StarClan, you’ve got to be kidding me! But we didn’t even do anything in front of him!”

            “We didn’t need to,” Eagleheart whispered.

            Bluepaw’s big ears flattened against his head and the fur rose along his neck and down his back. The dark tabby could see his mind racing for possible solutions, trying his best to put that smart Siamese brain of his to good use.

            “Should we just come clean? Tell Stormstar?” Eagleheart suggested feebly.

            “No.” The healer apprentice slowly looked to the stars, brows furrowing in determination. “Not yet.”

            “Then what do we do?”

            Bluepaw looked back at him. Something in his face grew hard. “I’m going to become a full medicine cat.”

            Eagleheart stared at him in confusion. “Can you do that?”

            “I’ll ask Petrelswoop to give me my healer name in time for the queens’ births. If he doesn’t want to, Stormstar will bother him until he does. By becoming a full medicine cat, I’ll be able to do and go wherever I want, not to mention Petrelswoop will have one less thing to hold over me,” Bluepaw explained.

            “That’s a good idea,” the tabby said, whiskers twitching.

            “But how do we know he won’t say anything in the meantime?” Bluepaw fretted.

            Eagleheart swallowed and scuffed his paws in the leaves. “Uh… Don’t worry about that. I kind of, um. Threatened him.”

            Bluepaw’s jaw dropped. _“Eagleheart!”_

            “I know, I know! I panicked. But I’m pretty sure he’ll keep his mouth shut. As long as we don’t do anything stupid we’re going to be fine,” he told the other tom. “If luck is on our side, everybody is going to be too focused on Thicket’s rogues in the coming moon to pay much attention to who’s chasing after who.”

            “… Alright. We better start heading back.” Bluepaw leaned into him, nuzzling up his neck and sighing softly. With a tender kiss behind each ridiculously big ear, Eagleheart draped his tail over Bluepaw’s back and walked him back to camp, praying to StarClan that they would make it out of this mess together.

<> 

            _“Ugh,”_ Redbriar groaned, rolling on to her back. “You would think that we mollies would have evolved to make this process a little more comfortable, but no.”

            Eagleheart leaned over to nose her stomach. If he stayed put for long enough, he could feel the kits moving about inside of her. Sure enough, after a short moment, he felt a slight press of a tiny body against his nose.

            “It’s still _amazing,_ though,” he said happily.

            His sister stretched out her legs, pleased. “It sure is. They’ll be _beautiful._ Softstep is actually pure Maine Coon as well, so I’ll be having purebred kits as well!”

            “Huh.” He didn’t really see why Redbriar thought that was so important, but then again, she always did pay more mind to blood than he did. Show cats in general tended to do that.

            “I just worry, with all the unrest against Stormstar, and then the whole deal with the rogues. If I had known they would be such a threat I would have waited another year to have kits,” Redbriar said, sounding aggravated.

            “Don’t worry about the rogues. You and Aukletflight and Spikeclaw just focus on what you need to do to take care of yourselves and the kits. The other warriors and I will take care of everything else,” Eagleheart promised. He didn’t want Redbriar to develop anxiety over all of that when the rest of the clan would give everything to protect her and the other queens.

            “I just want everything to be perfect for my children,” Redbriar stressed.

            “It’s going to be _fantastic,_ Red,” he told her. “Your kittens won’t be wanting for anything, not with TideClan to love and support them. These next several moons will the best of your entire life.”

            At last, the young queen relaxed a little. “Thank you, Eagleheart. I always knew I could count on you.”

            Eagleheart glowed with his sister’s praise. Maybe being a mother would help her temper, he hoped, and he wouldn’t have to worry about disappointing her so much.

            But as soon as he started to doze off, the prophecy Bluepaw had mentioned flashed through his mind like lightning. He really needed to ask the healer apprentice about that, he thought worriedly. If it really did involve him and Redbriar, then it would definitely impact her kittens, too.

            “Eagleheart!”

            The dark tabby snapped out of his doze as Boulderfoot came galloping towards him and Redbriar, tail bushed in excitement. “Stormstar needs to see you. The rogues slipped up; we found a trail right by our territory.”

            “Of course!” Eagleheart was immediately on his feet and sprinting for the cliff trail. “Bye, Redbriar! Stay safe! And make sure you eat when the sun starts to go down! I love you!”

            Her response was muffled by the excited yowling that was starting to fill the air by the cave. When Eagleheart scrambled up on to the broad ledge, it seemed like the entire clan was there, whooping and caterwauling in excitement. Up on the speaking rock, Stormstar was yowling for order. As Eagleheart found Otterscratch and Flameflash and sat down by them, the rest of the clan managed to settle down to hear what Stormstar had to say.

            “Fireflower will lead Thunderstep, Oceansong, Flameflash, Eggfur, and Stone-eye directly along the trail,” she ordered. “Boulderfoot will take a smaller patrol of Falconflight, Eagleheart, and Otterscratch to sweep the area for enemy forces. Eggfur, take Shadowstep, Brightclaw, and Thunderstep and head for the twoleg colony. Mousefoot, Gullcry, Sunmist, Petrelswoop, Rose, Bluepaw, all apprentices and elders, and the queens will guard the camp. While it is next to impossible that the rogues might make it to the cave we will not be taking chances.” Stormstar’s eyes burned like fire.

            “And if we find them?” Acornfall asked.

            Stormstar bared her fangs. “Attack on sight. Do not kill if it is not necessary.”

            “If not necessary?” Stone-eye snapped. Falconflight growled in agreement. “These bastards killed Rainfeather and have antagonized us for moons, not to mention you swore to Thicket you’d destroy them on sight if this ever happened again!”

            “I will handle Thicket myself, should he decide to make an appearance. But it has been proven that many of his cats only obey because they are frightened of what he will do to them if they do not. Fight to drive them away and injure, and there is to be no killing of queens and kittens!” Stormstar hissed.

            Stone-eye spat under his breath and followed Fireflower to the path that would take them up to the forest. Eagleheart glared after him as everybody began to split up into their different teams, but quickly joined Boulderfoot as he rounded up Falconflight and Otterstratch.

            “Quickly now!” the senior warrior said sharply as Otterscratch, who had just woken up from a nap, stumbled over his own paws. The black tabby grunted and apology and sped up into a speedy trot alongside Eagleheart.

            The four of them made good time to the edge of clan ground and separated to find any of Thicket’s rogues.

            “If there are multiple cats, do not engage. Keep them in the outskirts or out of clan territory as best as you can. Don’t let them find a path that could lead them to the camp!” Boulderfoot told them.

            Falconflight and Otterscratch took off to the east and north respectively, while Eagleheart scouted the south. Boulderfoot patrolled the border.

            He sniffed the woods down like a mad hound, ready to smack any cats who didn’t belong in his territory all the way back into the twoleg colony. It took until the sun had moved a little in the sky, but at last Eagleheart found the scent of a strange cat. The dark tabby bounded after it with a determined growl.

            The scent got fresher and fresher, until Eagleheart heard talking. He dropped into a crouch and slunk forward until he could see three cats sitting close to each other. His eyes widened when he spotted the black she-cat, Thicket’s mate, and her twin sister. With them was a tabby tom who Eagleheart didn’t know.

            “Look, all I’m saying is that we should wait for Thicket before we go any deeper into enemy territory,” the tom was saying. “Those TideClan cats ain’t no joke.”

            “We know, Ben,” Thicket’s mate said smoothly. Her voice was deep and rich.

            “But we’re very good at hiding,” said her sister.

            “And we’re faster.”

            Ben swallowed nervously, his eyes flickering back and forth between the two she-cats. “Whatever you think is best. Do you want me to tell Skye’s team to keep an eye out for Shadow and Spike?”

            “Yes,” Thicket’s mate murmured. “Please do.”

            Eagleheart could only tell her apart from her sister by her smoother voice. But that quickly became irrelevant as he realized that Redbriar’s theory was indeed correct: Shadowstep and Spikeclaw were indeed the children of Thicket and this slinky black queen. But why wouldn’t they have told Stormstar?

            Suddenly, the queen’s sister turned to stare at the spot where Eagleheart was hiding with unblinking green eyes. It was all he could do to not flinch back in fear.

            “I smell somebody,” she rasped.

            Eagleheart felt his stomach roll over. He couldn’t outrun the sisters or the lanky tabby tom, or even outpace them for long. But he was as big as all of them put together, and he was much stronger.

            Calmly, he stepped out of his hiding place.

            Ben, the tabby rogue, arched his back and spit. But the sisters just stared at him with those unnerving pale eyes and betrayed no emotion at his sudden appearance.

            “May I ask what you and the other rogues are doing here?” Eagleheart asked.

            “We wish to come home,” Thicket’s mate told him.

            “You are the descendants of the old clan of the forest, correct? That’s why Thicket’s so intent on reclaiming TideClan territory,” Eagleheart stated.

            If the black queen was surprised by his knowledge of the old lore, she did not show it.

            “Yes,” she said.

            “It doesn’t have to be this way,” he told her. “Please, tell Thicket that our warriors can’t possibly be held responsible for something that happened countless season cycles ago!”

           “We know,” the sister replied.

           “Then why-“

           “Where are my children?” the first black queen interrupted.

           Eagleheart’s hackles rose. “They chose to join us as warriors. You’ll find them fighting against your forces on behalf of TideClan.”

           Her ears pinned back, even though her face still remained impassive.

           “Get out of my territory. You won’t find your new home here.”

           “No. But I will find my kits!” With a snarl, she lunged at him with her claws unsheathed. Eagleheart slapped her aside and clawed at Ben. Unfortunately, that left him open to attack from the queen’s sister.

           The sleek black molly leapt on to his back and sank her claws into him, making the tabby spit and fall back. He was extremely pleased to hear the winded wheeze of pain coming from her before he rolled to his feet and kicked Ben hard enough to stun him.

           Thicket’s mate was suddenly in front of him, fangs bared, and lunged from his throat.

           He didn’t get out of the way fast enough.

           Eagleheart gasped, scrabbling desperately at the queen as her teeth drove deeper into his flesh. He felt blood seep out and cool in the evening air.

 _It’s always the throat,_ he thought dazedly.

           Ben and the she-cat’s sister leapt on to him and brought him to the ground. The TideClan warrior writhed against the assault, doing everything he could to keep the other cats from his bleeding neck.

           Just as he opened his mouth to scream for help, the grip on his throat released, and he scrambled to his feet with a gasp.

          Shadowstep was standing in front of him, claws and teeth bared and looking twice his usual size. He lashed his tail and growled deep in his chest.

          Ben and the black queen’s sister scrambled away from the new arrival, getting behind Thicket’s mate to back her up.

          “Hello, Mother. You wanted to see me?” Shadowstep asked.

           


	28. Chapter 28

           The black queen’s eyes softened at the sight of her son. Eagleheart slowly slunk away and began licking the blood from his chest, caused by the she-cat all but tearing his throat out.

           “Hello, Shadow. It’s been a long time,” she said, tone softer.

           “I have taken the name Shadowstep once I became a warrior of TideClan. You want to bring me back to Thicket, yes?” Shadowstep asked coolly.

           The queen dipped her sleek head. “Yes. It is time for you and your sister to come home and help your father take back what once was ours.”

           “This coast belongs to TideClan. You lot lost the right to it the moment you decided to try and wipe us out. Our deputy was killed just over a moon ago, and we have not forgiven Thicket for that,” Shadowstep told her angrily.

           “Many season cycles ago, it was the murderer Talon who planned to kill TideClan,” Eagleheart spoke up. “We will not let you finish what he started!”

           “This is not an option. You are coming home,” Shadowstep’s mother stated.

           “No.”

           “Where is your sister?”

           Eagleheart made eye contact with Shadowstep, and at the exact same time, the two toms lunged at the rogues. Ben was beaten rather easily when Shadowstep bit his shoulder hard enough to make him scream. However, the twins were proving to be a much bigger problem, as Shadowstep’s mother fought hard enough to claw Eagleheart bloody.

 _“Stop it!”_ Shadowstep slammed into his mother, and the two black cats wrestled across the forest floor in a blur of sleek pelts and white claws.

            Eyes slit against the pain, Eagleheart could only watch as mother and son tore each other apart. Night-colored fur littered the ground in small tufts. Blood speckled the leaves in dark spots.

            A loud yowl made him stagger to his feet, hope restored, as Otterscratch and Boulderfoot came flying into the clearing and tackled the twins away from the two beaten warriors. With an angry shriek, one of the sisters fled, quickly followed by the other.

            “They want me and Spikeclaw. I need to get back to camp right now and tell her,” Shadowstep panted.

            “Why do they want you two?” Boulderfoot asked, concerned.

            “We’re Thicket’s kits. He wants us to come back with him.”

            Otterscratch’s ears flattened. “Oh, and you couldn’t have told us about that little detail _before_ this happened?”

            “I’m sorry. I’ll fix this, I promise.” Shadowstep nodded at the three other toms and took off into the forest, heading for camp.

            “Go with him,” Boulderfoot told Eagleheart and Otterscratch. “If the rogues figure out those two are in the cave they’ll start searching the coast.”

            “Those two put all of us in danger! Shouldn’t we give them up before somebody else gets killed? It’s not like Thicket will murder them,” Otterscratch demanded.

            “Otterscratch!” Eagleheart snapped. “Nobody’s giving up anybody. They came here for a reason, and we won’t let Thicket hurt them.”

            The black tabby growled, but when Eagleheart took off, he heard the other tom’s familiar galloping gait behind him.

            They raced through the forest, which was steadily growing darker as clouds gathered overhead and the sun began to go down. The air smelled like rain.

            As soon as the salty scent of the ocean started to become more prominent they slowed and tasted the air for enemy fighters. Nothing stood out as unfamiliar, but that didn’t mean trouble couldn’t be on the way.

            The bushes rustled behind them, and the two toms whirled around, readying themselves for a fight, but their aggression quickly faded when none other than the queen Mousefoot stepped out of the shadows. The dusky brown tabby was scuffed up and bleeding from one cheek, but she didn’t seem to be in too much pain as she galloped up to Eagleheart and Otterscratch.

            “A band of rogues found the camp. We took care of them, but there’s bound to be more on the way. They had the sense to leave a strong scent trail to the cliff,” Mousefoot huffed.

            “Lead the way,” Eagleheart told her.

            The three of them made their way south, Mousefoot bounding ahead in impressively long leaps. They didn’t have to go far; Eagleheart picked up on the odor of the rogues that they had left on what seemed like every fern and tree before they even found the trail.

            Otterscratch’s lips curled. “Did they really have to leave their stink on every blade of grass between here and the cliff?”

            Eagleheart heard shrieks and caterwauling in the distance, and his hackles rose. “Is everybody prepared for round two?”

            “They better be. I’m heading back to guard the queens and elders,” Mousefoot told him. She turned and sprinted back towards the camp, bushy tail stuck straight up in the air.

            “Wait, what are we supposed to… and she’s gone,” Otterscratch growled. “I suppose we’re magically supposed to hold off the rogues as a two-tom army?”

            More nervous than he had ever been in his entire life, Eagleheart glanced around the forest, desperately trying to think of a solution. He wished he could just summon all of TideClan back from the border, even though they were most likely already on their way. But Thicket’s rogues were faster than they were, and much leaner.

            Eagleheart stiffened. “Otterscratch, up into that tree! When they come past, drop down on one and take out as many fighters as you can. If they try and chase you run off into the forest but go slow enough so they can follow you.”

            The two tabbies hauled themselves up into the pines as the snarls grew louder. Above, the first drops of rain began to fall, pattering against the leaves. The noises of water hitting soft forest things quickly became inaudible under the thundering of many sets of paws.

            Two pairs of green eyes locked. Eagleheart nodded. Without another word, they dropped from their hiding spot and on to the unsuspecting rogues below.

            An orange-and-white tabby had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time when Eagleheart came crashing down on him. Beneath the bigger tabby, the ginger fighter gave a strange, pained wheeze, coupled with a few _cracks_ in the ribcage. Two tail-lengths away, Otterscratch was in the process of beating a gray molly with scarred ears.

            Several cats turned to see what had caused the disturbance. Eagleheart very deliberately stepped over the unconscious body of his target, fluffing himself out as much as he could and hissing.

            Three rogues turned and fled on the spot. A yearling barely half Eagleheart’s size backed away with a whimper. But a couple of larger adults rose to the challenge, only to get clawed by a very angry warrior.

            “Save some for me!” Otterscratch yowled as he came flying at a rogue about to slice up Eagleheart’s flank. The skinny gray tom screeched in pain as he was unexpectedly assaulted by an enraged ball of black-and-brown fur and fangs. The stocky warrior flung the rogue through the air, right into a tree, where he collapsed at its base, completely stunned.

            The pair took out the rest of the rogues who had stayed to fight with only a few scratches and bruises, but they couldn’t afford to take a break just yet. More of Thicket’s cats were still heading for camp, and if they didn’t get there to help the queens and elders there was a chance that things would continue to go downhill.

            Eagleheart and Otterscratch ran for the cave as fast as their fatigued legs would carry them. While powerful swimmers, it wasn’t exactly a secret that TideClan cats weren’t that fast over ground.

            By the time they scrambled down the narrow stone path to the camp, the apprentices and warriors who had been selected to stay behind and defend the queens and elders were in the middle of a huge brawl against Thicket’s rogues. Lightningpaw and Darkpaw were waling on a big tabby, with the warriors forming a crescent in front of the mouth of the cave. Behind them were the elders, screaming insults over the chaos like cats half their age. The former house cat Rose, the molly who had joined TideClan not too long ago, was obviously terrified but was fighting a rogue twice her size. The queens, Eagleheart hoped, were safe in the nursery.

            If any of those thrice-damned rogues had put a claw on Redbriar, Spikeclaw, or Aukletflight, there was going to be absolute _hell_ to pay.

            Eagleheart launched himself at a tabby molly and sent her bundling towards the edge of the cliff. With a yelp, she took off down the trail to the beach, along with another tom who had nearly met a similar fate.

            “Throw them over if you need to!” Gullcry snarled. The gray tabby tom shared a similar temper to that of his cousin Falconflight, which had led to him losing half of his tail to a wolf a couple of season cycles ago. But that hadn’t stopped him from picking a fight with anything that might pose a threat to TideClan, even if he did get a little carried away sometimes.

            “Gullcry, for StarClan’s sake! Everyone knows these cats can’t swim for shit,” Mousefoot called over, blood running her face and a twinkle in her eyes.

            “True. Perhaps we could throw them down to the beach _instead!”_ With a mighty heave, Gullcry kicked a rogue so hard he flew through the air and landed with a painful-sounding _thump_ somewhere down the path.

            Despite the warriors’ bravado, it was clear the colony’s strength in numbers was beginning to overwhelm TideClan forces. Eagleheart was gasping for breath as he fought off a tom and a molly at the same time, and beside him, Mousefoot wasn’t doing much better. Blood stained her brown fur all shades of red, slicking down the striped pelt like water. If the other patrols didn’t get here soon they would be driven out or killed.

            His heart jumped when he saw Petrelswoop and Bluepaw further back in the cave, desperately trying to stop the bleeding coming from a wounded Sunmist.

            _StarClan, no._

            “Let me at ‘em!” Blossompelt screeched from behind. “I may be old, but I’ve got a few good fights left in me!”

            “Blossompelt, if you don’t get your old ass back here,” Foggywave groaned.

            “Bah, you used to be more fun!”

            Beside her, Thistlefeather stared out at the fight, obvious concern on his face. The elder’s wits were gone, Eagleheart knew, as well as hearing and some of his sight, but he still had his strength and incredible sense of smell. The young warrior just hoped that if it came to it, Thistlefeather would be able to make the connection and defend the queens and other elders with everything he had.

            Unfortunately, it came to it much sooner than Eagleheart had hoped.

            One particularly strong rogue bowled over Mousefoot and lunged at Foggywave. White claws glinted in the dim light. Blossompelt opened her mouth to scream, eyes wide with horror, but before the rogue could strike she was slammed aside by a ragged streak of dark tabby fur.

            Thistlefeather snarled, blank eyes narrowed. He slashed at the rogue’s face until she screamed, and then Foggywave dodged nimbly to the side as another colony fighter came thundering through. The pale elder lunged with amazing accuracy for his throat, latched on, and swung his opponent back and forth.

            But by far, the most impressive warrior was Blossompelt. The ancient tortoiseshell stalked forward, head held high, and struck down a tom that dared ignore her in favor of fighting Mousefoot and Darkpaw. The tom crumpled to his belly, stunned, before managing to drag himself away with a pained groan.

            “Yeaahhh, Blossompelt!” Otterscratch screamed.

            _The queens!_ Eagleheart decided the warriors and elders would be fine and bounded towards the nursery.

            And almost pissed himself.

            Standing in front of Spikeclaw was the Thicket’s mate, regal head lowered to meet her daughter’s equally frightening gaze. Spikeclaw was curled up in her nest, ears pricked as she replied to something her mother had said to her.

            At the opposite end of the nursery were Redbriar and Aukletflight, blessedly unharmed. Redbriar was standing protectively in front of Aukletflight, enormous with her mane fluffed out and swollen belly. She had her fangs bared and looked absolutely _enraged._ Aukletflight looked serious for once, but she didn’t make any hostile movements other than scraping her claws against the den floor.

            Redbriar spotted him and cried out in relief. “Eagleheart! Quick, get that wretch out of the nursery!”

            “Don’t!”

            Eagleheart turned to look at Spikeclaw in surprise. The skinny black molly flicked an ear. “I want to speak with my mother for a moment.”

            “I knew something like this would happen!” Redbriar snarled. “Shadowstep at least has a level head, I know he’s not going to be as stupid as you about this mess. Are you a traitor to the clan who saved your life, Spikeclaw?”

            “I’m a loyal TideClan warrior! But my mother deserves to know how I’ve been doing, and I want to know about her, too,” Spikeclaw insisted.

            Her mother blinked slowly, warmth flickering through those eerie green-yellow eyes. “You were always the truest of my children. My son was never one for family, it seems.”

            “Your _son_ is the father of my kits!” Aukletflight spat.

            The black queen turned to look at her. “Your mistake.”

            Aukletflight snarled.

            “Mother, please,” Spikeclaw pleaded.

            “Eagleheart, attack the rogue!” Redbriar ordered sharply.

            “Wait.” Eagleheart stepped forward to confront Thicket’s mate. “Shadowstep and Spikeclaw aren’t going back with you, queen. Surely you know that?”

            “Not right now, they aren’t. But one day,” the black rogue said, swinging her head back around to look her daughter in the eye. “One day, you and your brother will come home, and you will succeed your father in ruling the colony. It is your destiny.”

            “I’ll decide what my destiny is, thanks,” Spikeclaw said tonelessly.

            If the queen was angered by her response, she did not show it. “Stubborn until the end, my daughter. Hopefully that stubbornness won’t end up hurting your kits.”

            There was movement of shadow against black rock, and the black she-cat was gone.

            Spikeclaw stared after her, expression unreadable.

            Then she looked up as a hissing Redbriar stormed over to her and shoved her face right up against the other queen’s. “Stormstar will hear about this, you traitor! Nobody gives a rat’s tail that she’s your mother, she’s the _enemy,_ and you were supposed to drive her off!”

            “If you were in my paws, and Eagleheart came to talk to you, you would listen,” Spikeclaw pointed out, cleaning her chest.

            “No, I would not. He would still be the enemy, because unlike some cats around here, I still have my priorities in order! I hope Stormstar exiles you for this!”

            “Redbriar!” Eagleheart shoved his way in between the mollies. “That’s enough. Spikeclaw couldn’t have fought her without risking her kits, and neither could have you or Aukletflight. She did the right thing.”

            The torbie let her hackles fall flat, but she still growled as she stalked back over to her nest beside Aukletflight and flopped down in a heap of russet-and-gold fur.

            “Thanks,” Spikeclaw said.

            Eagleheart glared down at her. “Don’t think that because you’re my friend I’ll let you get off easy. You let that rogue in here with my pregnant sister and Aukletflight. If something had happened to them…”

            He let his sentence trail off as Spikeclaw’s eyes widened slightly. The dark tabby lashed his tail, looked back at Redbriar and Aukletflight one last time, and slipped out of the nursery.

            When the salty tang of blood hit his nose, he knew that too much blood had been spilled that night.

            The clouds had cleared so that a thin sliver of moon shone through. It was still dark, but there was enough light to clearly see Stormstar, who had apparently arrived sometime towards the end of the battle, and Bluepaw crouching over Sunmist, who was stretched out on the cave floor as if she were sleeping. Laid out beside her still form were Gullcry, Foggywave, Darkpaw, Featherpaw, Doepaw, and Mousefoot.

            “No,” he croaked. His legs shook underneath him. Vision blurring, he stumbled over to them and sank down beside Bluepaw. The medicine cat apprentice was shaking, his face pressed into Stormstar’s fur as the young clan leader sobbed like the entire world had come to an end before her.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A devastating loss leaves the entirety of TideClan weak and uncertain.

            They buried the fallen in the early morning.

            Boulderfoot and Falconflight were the ones to rest their respective children, laying them in the same grave. Blossompelt muttered a prayer nearby, eyes shut tight and her voice wavering in the cool breeze. Eggfur later told Eagleheart that apprentices and kits were always laid to rest together to make sure they wouldn’t get scared on their way to the afterlife.

            Stormstar buried Sunmist near the apprentices, with Fireflower taking care of Mousefoot and Gullcry, aided by some of the other warriors who hadn’t been too injured in the battle. The elder Foggywave followed soon after as Blossompelt said her final goodbyes to her mate of so many season cycles.

            The sky only began to lighten when they were finished. Slowly, the stars that coated the night like dewdrops faded from view, replaced by the sun came up through the trees. Pale gray clouds drifted in front of it, momentarily shadowing the world before light once again reached the world below.

            Like the stars had, cats began to leave one by one, silently slipping away to patrol or rest their wounds. Eagleheart left with Redbriar and Aukletflight, leaving Boulderfoot and Fireflower to mourn Mousefoot and Darkpaw, and Falconflight with Featherpaw. He wasn’t hurt too badly other than a sliced-up leg and shoulder, so he told Eggfur he’d join her hunting party at sun-high and trudged his way over to the medicine den.

            Bluepaw was treating Flameflash’s broken toe when he slipped in. When Eagleheart looked around for Petrelswoop, the elderly medicine cat was curled up in his nest, gray tabby fur unruly and matted with blood in some parts. At first, coldness seized his gut when he didn’t see Petrelswoop breathing, but when he looked closer he could see the faint rise and fall of bony flanks.

            “… Keep your weight off it as much as you can for the next moon. Oh, and swim,” Bluepaw was telling Flameflash as he supported her while they walked to the entrance. “Come back in a few days for a check-up. I’ll tell Stormstar you’re excused from patrols until your paw doesn’t hurt anymore.”

            The fluffy calico thanked him quietly and hobbled over to the warriors’ den to go back to sleep. Eagleheart’s chest panged when he realized she had lost her apprentice, Featherpaw, who had just been buried. As soon as she was gone, Eagleheart let himself lie down next to Bluepaw, who began cleaning his wounded leg in long, soothing strokes.

            “I’m so glad you’re okay,” Bluepaw murmured in between licks.

            “You too.” The tabby curled up closer to Bluepaw, stretching out his front legs. “StarClan, I just…”

            “I know.”

            Eagleheart stared forlornly out at the opposite cave wall. “It all just… happened so fast. All those lives…”

            Bluepaw moved from his leg to his shoulder, a soothing purr rumbling up in his chest. “You did exactly what you were supposed to do. Everybody did.”

            “… Yeah.” _It still hurts, though._

            “Thankfully, we’ll be bringing the new recruits home any day now; we’ll need the extra fighters if… _when_ the rogues come back,” the smaller tom said.

            Eagleheart was about to agree when a rattling wheeze made them both jump. There was a short bout of coughing from the other half of the den, and then uneasy snoring.

            Bluepaw shut his eyes, and the tabby could practically feel the grief radiating off him in sharp waves, even stronger than his own sorrow over his dead clanmates. In a flash, Eagleheart realized why- Petrelswoop wasn’t going to be around much longer. He had heard that kind of coughing before from Old Thomas just a few days before he passed. What had he called it? Cranker? Can-fur?

            _Cancer._ Eagleheart’s ears flattened. Was every cat and their grandmother trying to die on him? Great StarClan.

            He felt a kiss being pressed to his cheek, and he leaned into it with a purr. Maybe everything was going to hell around him, but he would always have Bluepaw, and Bluepaw would always have him.

            Eagleheart reluctantly rose to his paws when he saw that the sunlight streaming past the mouth of the cave had grown brighter, trailing his tail along Bluepaw’s back. “I promised Eggfur I’d do patrol with her. I’ll be back later.”

            “Hurry home.” The Siamese tom rolled over and stared up at him with those enormous blue eyes, twinkling in the dim light like stars.

            Eagleheart’s ears flushed, and he stammered something that might have been an affirmation before scooting along to find Eggfur.

            Their patrol was small, consisting of just him, Fireflower, and Eggfur herself. He followed the two she-cats up to the forest and set off at a steady pace towards the border. Unlike previous patrols, there was no playful banter, not even any conversation about Fireflower’s fallen apprentice, Darkpaw, who she had doted on like he was her own kit. Nobody spoke about Doepaw, Eggfur’s young charge either. Eagleheart privately wished somebody would say something, anything, so that he wouldn’t be left to his own thoughts for the duration of the trip around clan territory.

            He got his wish, eventually, but not in the way he wanted.

            Fireflower had paused to sniff at a tree, tail flicking, before she jerked back with an angry hiss. Immediately, Eagleheart was beside her to investigate.

            “What is it?” Eggfur called from ahead.

            “A scent marker, and not one of ours,” Fireflower growled.

            Eagleheart opened his mouth to draw in the scent. Sure enough, the familiar scent of a colony cat filled his nose. He drew away with his lips curled in distaste.

            The galloping of paws on earth drew closer, and Eggfur darted between the two other warriors to see what the fuss was all about. The white molly had the best sense of smell in the entire clan save Thistlefeather, so if anybody found something unusual on clan ground she was usually one of the first cats that was called to the scene.

            “That’s Thicket for sure,” Eggfur grunted. “I got a good whiff of that bastard by the border yesterday.”

            “How fresh?” Fireflower demanded.

            “Last night, possibly right after we went back to camp.”

            Eagleheart circled the tree, stopping when the scent lingered. Apprehension growing in his stomach, he darted over to a patch of ferns just beyond the border to confirm what he hoped was not true.

            “He’s been here recently! There’s a fresh trail!” Eagleheart exclaimed. The two mollies immediately bounded over to him, tasted the scent, and then took off. Eagleheart sprinted after them, hackles rising along his neck and back.

            The trail grew fresher not too far from the border, and they slowed to a swift stalk through the trees. In another few moments, Eggfur, who had taken the lead, twitched her tail as a signal to stop.

            His pulse thudding in his ears, Eagleheart pressed himself to the ground. Beside him, Fireflower did the same, ears flat against her skull. The flame-colored queen looked ready to slice up the first creature that got in her way.

            With an angry screech, Eggfur hurled herself at something Eagleheart could not see. A snarl answered her, and Fireflower and the dark tabby leapt after Eggfur.

            Thicket had Eggfur pinned when the two other warriors came crashing into the bracken where the colony leader was hiding. Eagleheart was quick to knock Thicket off the white molly, with Fireflower crashing down on him the moment he hit the ground.

            But Thicket didn’t look all that concerned. “As much as I enjoy beautiful she-cats on top of me, I’d rather discuss politics right now.”

            “My apprentice is dead because of you. My poor Darkpaw and too many others no longer walk the mortal world, and I can name more than a few of my clanmates who would like to avenge them,” Fireflower spat, her muzzle a hair-width from Thicket’s.

            “My orders were to injure, not kill, the exact same as your leader’s. Usually, the defending party doesn’t fight so brutally as you lot did,” Thicket said coolly.

            “Children of the clan were killed!”

            “And so were those of my colony. Get your enormous ass off me.”

            Fireflower obliged. With a pained wheeze, Thicket pushed himself upright. The older tom had taken a beating, Eagleheart noticed with satisfaction, most likely from Stormstar. A new set of scars crossed his muzzle, and one of his ears had all been shredded to nothing. He moved stiffly, like every muscle in his body had been strained.

            “What do you want now?” Eggfur growled.

            “What is rightfully mine. Two clans once lived together on the coast, until Tidestar drove us away!” the colony leader raged. “We want to come _home,_ warrior.”

            “And I suppose the eradication of TideClan will be the price?” Eagleheart questioned.

            Thicket glanced up at him, and with a jolt Eagleheart realized he was now taller than the older tomcat. “But of course. Your people had your turn. Now, it is ours.”

            “Yeah, sorry… No. Now that we’ve had this conversation for the umpteenth time, get your ratty ass back to the twoleg colony before we drag it there,” Fireflower told him sweetly, the rage in her eyes making her look even more terrifying.

            While the older cats argued, Eagleheart started to realize something that made his fur stand on end.

            “Wait. How did you know Stormstar’s plan?” the dark tabby demanded.

            Thicket blinked, showing alarm for the first time. “Goodness me, I seem to have slipped up about that. Oh well.”

            _He has a spy in TideClan,_ Eagleheart thought dazedly.

            Fireflower and Eggfur unsheathed their claws, moving to attack, but Thicket had already taken off through the forest with the speed of a falcon.

            “StarClan damn it!” Fireflower yowled, about to give chase, but Eagleheart pulled back on her tail to stop her.

            “We can deal with him later. Right now we need to finish up the patrol and then tell Stormstar about this,” he told her.

            “What’s Stormstar gonna do, ask her housecat friends to make fun of him until he surrenders?” Eggfur grumbled.

            “Not you too!” Eagleheart growled. “Save your bitching for later. Come on, Fireflower.”

            With that, Eagleheart took the lead, with Fireflower sashaying at his side. As quick as they could, the three warriors made the rest of the trip around the border and then hightailed it back to camp.

            Everybody was still pretty lifeless, a stark contrast to the adrenaline that was surging through Eagleheart, but he forced himself to calm down as he and the two mollies casually made their way to the cave and up to Stormstar’s den.

            The clan leader and Boulderfoot were grooming each other, both looking to be half-asleep when Eagleheart, Eggfur, and Fireflower came skittering in. That changed fairly quickly when Stormstar saw the look on the dark tabby’s face.

            “We have important information regarding Thicket,” he gasped.

            “Pray, tell,” Stormstar said, brows furrowing as she stood.

            Fireflower stepped forward. “We tracked a trail containing his scent past clan ground and found him not too far away. He wanted to speak with us about something, but in doing so accidentally revealed that he has a spy within TideClan.”

            Boulderfoot’s tail bushed nervously, but Stormstar looked like she had been clawed across the face. She slid to the cave floor with a groan, ears drooping, exhaustion and grief washing across her entire body. The black molly seemed to be momentarily shattered before managing to pick herself back up.

            Eagleheart crawled over to her and pressed his forehead against hers. “We’ll find out who it is, Stormstar. He has something big over them, no doubt, something that would make them risk it all like this.”

            Stormstar barked out a dry laugh. “You have spirit, Eagleheart, but I know what TideClan thinks of me as their leader. At this rate I’ll be lucky to have no attempts on my life within the next few moons.”

            “Don’t say that!” Eagleheart exclaimed, stricken. “Maybe some of the other warriors don’t like you that much, but I seriously doubt anybody wants to _kill_ you.”

            “You don’t understand. They blame me for the deaths that happened last night,” the she-cat said wearily.

            “What?” Eagleheart realized Fireflower and Eggfur were still standing awkwardly behind them, and he gave them an exasperated look.

            _You two really can’t show some kindness to your own leader?_

            “You can go if you wish,” Stormstar told the two she-cats. Fireflower and Eggfur nodded, bowed, and left the den, leaving Eagleheart with the clan leader and deputy.

            Boulderfoot sighed once the footsteps of the other warriors vanished down to the cave below. “The clan is angry because they are anxious and tired. They make you their scapegoat so that they can unify themselves against a common enemy, even when the _real_ enemy are the cats that took our warriors from us in the first place.”

            “He’s right,” Eagleheart piped up.

            “… I only hope that the defeat of Thicket’s rogues comes sooner rather than later,” Stormstar wished, looking up as if praying to the hidden stars above.

            The deputy dipped his head. “If I may, I would suggest a patrol tomorrow morning to pick up the other recruits. It might make them feel better to get something productive done.”

            “The recruits… yes. I’ll call a meeting right now.” Stormstar hauled herself to her feet and padded sluggishly down to the main cave.

            Two pairs of dark green eyes watched her go. Eagleheart couldn’t stop the surge of worry in his chest at the molly’s fatigue. For all of Stormstar’s solid strength and good humor, the tabby began to wonder if his friend could possess the kind of strength to withstand the frustration of the people she was trying to rule.

 


	30. Chapter 30

           True to her word, Stormstar brought home the two other recruits the following evening, bringing in the total of newcomers to three. Rose, the calico Eagleheart had brought back to camp, was given the all-clear to start her official training as a warrior of TideClan and was named “Rosepetal” by Stormstar. The two newest recruits were a pregnant queen and a tom who had been a stray. The queen, a white-furred beauty who Eagleheart could tell was about to become very popular with the clan males, took the name Snowsky and took her place next to Redbriar, Aukletflight, and Spikeclaw. The tom was named Stonepelt, in honor of his impressively thick gray coat. He seemed like a nice fellow, if not a little on-edge about being around so many new cats.

            As the weather continued to grow warmer, the excessive shedding every cat was going through picked up and then finally began to slow, much to everyone’s relief. Thick, long fur required a _lot_ of maintenance. The time it took a patrol to go around clan territory was roughly the time needed to yank out knots and bits of debris before doing at least two solid washes. Eagleheart’s jaw and tongue were sore by the end of every bath, and that wasn’t even accounting for having to help others with their pelts as well.

            The lack of rogues and the more-frequent sunny days did wonders for the clan’s recovery from the battle. Slowly, but surely, the normal routine of life on the coast washed over the pained atmosphere that had taken residence there, like ocean waves over disturbances in the sand. Nobody tip-toed around each other anymore, instead preferring to show off new scars and fondly recall the courage of their fallen clanmates. Stormstar, who had become even more disliked, was becoming somewhat popular again, at least with the younger warriors.

            But even that couldn’t put a damper on Eagleheart’s mood. As another moon began to draw to a close, the entire clan seemed to wait with baited breath as they kept an eye on the nursery. Any day, Redbriar and the others would be ready to give birth.

            To say he was excited was an understatement. Poor Bluepaw already had to deal with an elderly Petrelswoop and three restless queens, so he did try his best to stay out of the small tom’s way, even if it made him jittery to not know what was going on at any given moment. The young medicine cat was in so much stress that when Petrelswoop told him he would be taking him to the Mooncave tonight to give him his full healer name, he fainted dead away in front of a returning hunting patrol.

            “Shitshitshitshitshit-!” Bluepaw was tearing around the cave in erratic loops. “This is actually _happening_ holy StarClan save me. Eagleheart, tell me the truth. Do you think I’m ready for this?”

            “Bluepaw, you are _more_ than ready,” the dark tabby told him truthfully as the smaller tom ran circles around him.

            A loud bout of hacking signaled the arrival of Petrelswoop, who had not gotten any better in the last moon. Eagleheart privately thought that the old healer should have made Bluepaw a full medicine cat before he was practically already in StarClan, but hey, what did he know. He was just a warrior.

            As the sun began to go down over the ocean, Eagleheart said his goodbyes to a trembling Bluepaw, trying his best to ignore Petrelswoop glaring holes into the back of his skull.

            “You’ll come back to camp as one of the most revered cats in this clan,” Eagleheart told him quietly as he walked Bluepaw to the forest’s edge. “And I’ll be there for you every step of the way.”

            Bluepaw’s beautiful eyes locked with his, and Eagleheart felt something in him melt right out of his body. Right then, he would have given anything to kiss him, but before he could lean in Petrelswoop hissed at them. “Bluepaw! Get your skinny ass in gear before I drag you all the way there!”

            “Yessir!” the small tom yelped before hightailing it away. He gave Eagleheart one last look as the two medicine cats made their way into the darkening forest. They could travel along the coast and arrive at the Mooncave in the middle of the night, Eagleheart knew from when he and Bluepaw made the journey themselves. There, a holy ceremony would take place, and Bluepaw would receive a new name and rank in TideClan.

            Eagleheart headed back to the cave to check on the queens, a big smile on his face and his tail waving high in the air.

            Aukletflight was pacing around the outcropping, swollen belly brushing the ground. “Did Petrelswoop really have to drag Bluepaw off tonight? It’s gonna happen soon, I just know it.”

            “Sorry, Aukletflight. Petrelswoop doesn’t have a lot of time left; I guess he figured better sooner than later,” Eagleheart told her.

            “What’s happening soon? Are you having contractions?” Shadowstep came galloping out of the cave, ears pricked. The tom’s pale eyes didn’t give away much, which was normal for him, but Eagleheart didn’t have to be a mind reader to feel the worry prickling off that sleek black pelt like fleas off a dirty apprentice.

            “Nah, not yet. But soon,” Aukletflight said, her usual cheer coming back as she merrily shoved her mate’s shoulder.

            Shadowstep looked anxiously at Eagleheart, like the tabby knew something he didn’t, but only got an apologetic grimace.

            “Is Redbriar in the nursery?” Eagleheart asked Aukletflight.

            “She sure is. Ever since the invasion she likes to snoop around the place and glare at Spikeclaw until the poor bag-of-bones has to leave,” the black-and-white queen snorted.

            “StarClan’s sake,” Eagleheart grunted, lashing his tail in annoyance. “I’ll go talk to her. My sister loves to hold grudges, the petty hairball.”

            With that, he stalked into the cave and headed for the nursery.

            Redbriar was lounging in her nest with the air of a cat who had been blessed by StarClan. She was in the middle of grooming Softstep, who was complaining like she was treating him like a kit. Eagleheart felt a bit of sympathy; the nesting instincts of queens were sometimes even more frightening than being in a battle.

            But he urged himself to focus when he saw Spikeclaw at the opposite end of the nursery, curled up in a very pregnant ball with her back facing Redbriar.

            Said queen spotted him and perked up in delight. “Eagleheart! Come here, Softstep and I are discussing names.”

            “For the kits? But you don’t even know what they look like yet,” Eagleheart questioned.

            “Yeah, but I don’t want any kits with dumb names.”

            He snorted. “Fair enough. Maybe Spikeclaw might have some ideas?”

            There it was. Redbriar wrinkled her nose at the black she-cat’s name. “Hmm, no. We’re not exactly on speaking terms at the moment.”

            “And whose fault is that?” Eagleheart asked dryly, one brow raised.

            The torbie growled deep in her throat, but then seemed to remember Softstep was right behind her, and she calmed down. “Ugh, _fine,_ I’ll apologize after the kits are born. But she’s still a traitor.”

            Eagleheart kind of wanted to smack her, but he decided that was as good as it was going to get. Behind his sister, Softstep gave him a look like, _What can you do._

            “So… names?” Eagleheart suggested, desperate to stay on her good side.

            Redbriar seemed happy with the new change of topic. “So, what do you think: plant or animal-themed names?”

            “Uh… how about both?”

            “… Maybe. Don’t want to get too ahead of myself.” She continued on about what names she was considering, with Eagleheart doing his best to stay invested, as his sister did like to talk a lot. Redbriar seemed more interested in consulting him over Softstep, which he supposed meant he was back in her good favor from when he defended Spikeclaw in her decision to talk with her mother during the battle.

            Luckily, being pregnant was a lot of work, and Redbriar wore herself out just as the last of the colors in the evening sky faded to star-studded black. She mumbled a goodnight to Eagleheart and fell asleep in practically the same breath.

            “How’s she been holding up?” Eagleheart asked Softstep once he was sure she wasn’t conscious anymore.

            He expected the golden tabby to jump at the opportunity to gloat over Redbriar, as he had done when he had learned she was expecting, but all he got was a tired sigh. Softstep heaved himself to his feet and invited Eagleheart to follow him with a flick of his spiky tail.

            Concerned, he followed the soon-to-be father. Softstep led the way down to the beach- one of his favorite places, Eagleheart knew, as the smaller tabby was more comfortable in the water than he was on land due to his lame hind leg.

            “I love Redbriar, I really do,” Softstep began hesitantly. “It’s just… sometimes I just feel that all she wants is the kits, not me. They come first, of course, but she’s barely even looked my way this past moon. Even today she seemed bored.”

            _“What?_ But…” Eagleheart felt a surge of guilt at not even being surprised. His sister had always looked out for him, in her own strange way, but he never thought her capable of being so cruel. She was _proud,_ not mean.

            “It just feels like I’m not good enough for her. Everything was great at first, but now all I want is to feel okay again,” Softstep said sadly.

            “Does she… tell you that you’re not good enough?” The darker tabby asked.

            “When we were discussing kits, I asked her if she really wanted to be with me. Then she said something like ‘Of course! You’re purebred, aren’t you? Our kits will be beautiful,’ and looked at me like we were part of some grand plan.”

            Eagleheart felt a little sick. “M-Maybe she just was thinking about bloodlines? We were show cats, she kind of does have a one-track mind when it comes to things like that.”

            “Yeah. Bloodlines,” Softstep mumbled.

            Swallowing, Eagleheart tried to shake off the concern prickling up his neck fur. It was the same sensation that had come over him during his first vigil as a warrior, a little voice in the back of his mind telling him to keep his guard up around Redbriar, to not confide in her with knowledge of a prophecy from StarClan. He hated himself just thinking about it, but he knew he didn’t completely trust Redbriar.

            And judging by the stony look in Softstep’s amber eyes, the golden warrior felt the same way he did.

            “Do you want-“ he began, speaking very quietly, but before he could complete the sentence his hind paw caught on something, and he tripped.

            “You okay?” Softstep asked, brows furrowed, but when he looked behind Eagleheart he went still. The dark tabby turned to see what he was looking at, alarmed at his friend’s reaction.

            Just one leg-length away was the dead body of a petrel.

            There weren’t any signs of injury, no bite or claw marks from a predator. Nothing on the seabird looked broken. Even the dappled gray-brown feathers were clean and neatly groomed. It was as if the petrel was just walking around, minding its own business, before it fell over and died for no reason.

            “You don’t think…” Softstep said breathlessly.

            Eagleheart’s pulse began to pick up. He looked to the sky for any hint as to if the dead petrel was a sign or just an unsettling coincidence, but other than the low thundering of waves against rock and shore there was nothing.

            Softstep said something else, concern lacing through his tone, but Eagleheart was already sprinting south.

            The waves rolling in drenched his paws and leeched the warmth from them, the salty water having barely been heated by the spring sun. Eagleheart barely noticed, his entire world narrowing down to how fast his legs could push him forward, the burning in his chest that increased with every moment he continued surging forward at full speed. Instead of slowing down, he concentrated on the pain and let it drive him to go even faster.

            He didn’t know how long he kept going like that, but it wasn’t too far. Two feline shapes appeared in the distance, fur gleaming with silver moonlight and sea spray. The larger of the two forms was slumped over in the sand. It was completely motionless.

            “Petrelswoop! Bluepaw!” he cried hoarsely.

            A slender head lifted at the sound of his voice. Eagleheart thundered over to the two medicine cats before skidding to a stop, gasping for breath.

            Petrelswoop, old, faithful Petrelswoop, was dying. The scent of death hung over the gray tabby like a fine mist and clung to his fur. Every rise and fall of those broad flanks seemed shallower and shallower. The cancer had beaten him at last, and Eagleheart absently wondered how long Petrelswoop had been fighting it. A couple of moons? Entire season cycles?

            _He’s a stronger warrior than I’ll ever be._

            “I-I can’t-“ Bluepaw choked, “I can’t do anything for him now. He’s-“

            “You aren’t supposed to, foolish boy,” a dry rasp said. Eagleheart crouched down to look Petrelswoop in the eye, his throat tight with grief.

            “I haven’t shown you the kindness and respect you deserve, Petrelswoop. I’m sorry,” the darker tabby whispered.

            “You…” Petrelswoop shuddered. “You take care of him, Eagleheart. Perhaps destiny will be kind to the both of you. How, though, I cannot imagine…” The elderly tom broke off in a harsh coughing fit.

            “I’ve failed you. I broke the Code of Healers into pieces,” his apprentice sobbed. Bluepaw was hyperventilating, paws shaking so hard he was disturbing the sand he was sitting on. Large ears were laid flat against his head in complete sorrow.

            But there was no anger in Petrelswoop’s pale eyes as he looked up at the Siamese. “The Code… do you know why I gave you your full name, son? Because cats like you come only once in a blue moon. You are Bluemoon, a legend in the making, the heart of TideClan and the strongest cat I know. Never… never forget that.”

            _“Bluemoon,”_ Eagleheart couldn’t help but breathe. “That’s perfect.”

            “Isn’t it?” Petrelswoop said softly. He lost focus on the younger tabby. “It’s…”

            Eagleheart’s breath hitched, and he leaned in closer. “Petrelswoop?”

            _“Treachery-!_ Beware, Eagleheart! Beware of the briar, for even the strongest warriors can become ensnared in it.” Petrelswoop began to tremble as he got more and more delirious.

            _“Briar?_ I don’t understand,” Eagleheart said frantically.

            “The prophecy… look not to your own…”

            Eagleheart nudged him, whimpering, but with one last rattling breath the medicine cat relaxed and went still.

            Eagleheart and Bluemoon stared down at him in disbelief. For a long moment, it didn’t register in Eagleheart’s mind that the ancient medicine cat had finally gone on to join StarClan, that he would not be coming back with them to the cliff. Petrelswoop looked peaceful, as if he was simply enjoying a good sleep.

            Beside Eagleheart, Bluemoon slid down next to his former mentor and buried his face in gray fur. “No, no. Please, I’m not ready. Not yet…”

            “Oh, Bluemoon,” the dark tabby said sadly. “Nobody’s ever really ready.”

            The small tom didn’t respond. Without another word, Eagleheart crouched down next to Bluemoon and curled his tail around the familiar slender body. Bluemoon leaned into the contact with a shuddering exhale. Eagleheart began grooming his head and neck, hoping it would help calm him.

            Eventually, it did, and Bluemoon sat back and tilted his head to the sky with his eyes closed. His mouthed moved, as if he was saying something, but as to what Eagleheart had no idea. Perhaps it was just a trick of the moonlight, but for a moment the medicine cat looked much taller than usual.

            “I… Will you help me bury him?” Bluemoon rasped.

            Eagleheart nodded and gently seized Petrelswoop by the scruff. Very carefully, he pulled the older tabby from the beach and into the grasses that backed up to the cliff. He found a spot where the soil had been loosened by the lack of grass over it and started digging. Bluemoon joined in soon after, and before the stars had shifted much in the heavens above they had a hole a little larger than Eagleheart. The dark tabby scuffed at the bottom, instinctively making a nest for the dead medicine cat to rest in. He felt a little stupid when he realized what he was doing, but when he met Bluemoon’s gaze he knew the gesture was appreciated.

            Together, they took hold of Petrelswoop and laid him down into the grave.

            Eagleheart made to start kicking dirt into it, but Bluemoon stopped him.

            “Wait,” he said. He took off down the beach and into the surf. Baffled, Eagleheart watched as he rooted around in the shallows for a while before racing back up to him. In his mouth were several seashells.

            “We always honor medicine cats with shells when we bury them,” he murmured. With reverence, he dropped them into the grave with Petrelswoop. They shone silver and pink against ruffled gray fur. “May StarClan welcome you with kindness and the outmost respect, Petrelswoop. May your spirit roam the heavens in peace for as long as they exist, for everything you did in life will more than pay off in death. May all you taught me be enough to keep TideClan strong and happy.”

            His voice broke on the last word, and he bowed over with a sob.

            Eagleheart draped his tail over Bluemoon’s back as he caught his breath. When he managed to steady himself, they pushed the excess soil back where it came from, until nothing more could be seen of Petrelswoop. His heart hurt at the thought of never talking to him again, hearing his old-cat voice that was comfortably rusted over with age. He had been a part of their clan as significant as the ocean itself.

            He stayed by Bluemoon’s side until the eastern sky turned from black to gray. When at last the only medicine cat of TideClan rose to his feet, they turned to the north and made their way home.  

           


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Foreshadowwwiiinnnnggggg

            Softstep and Otterscratch were waiting for them when they got back. When they saw that Petrelswoop was not with them, their whiskers drooped, as if their fear had finally been confirmed about the omen Eagleheart had received.

            “Softstep already told Stormstar what had happened,” Otterscratch told him quietly. “I expect the clan knows by now.”

            “Thanks, Otterscratch.” Eagleheart looked down at Bluemoon, who was staring lifelessly at his paws. It would take awhile for him to conquer his grief, but the dark tabby knew he would be at his side every step of the way.

            “So what’s your name?” Softstep asked gently, coming around to the Bluemoon’s side and bumping his shoulder. “Let me guess. Blue-eyes? Bluebird?”

            That cracked a smile out of the Siamese tom. “It’s Bluemoon, actually.”

            “Blue _moon?_ Whoa. Only extremely talented healers get to be named after the moon,” Softstep said enviously.

            Eagleheart knew that the _moon_ suffix was reserved for medicine cats, as they were considered to be semi-holy in the eyes of warriors. If an especially competent one came along, one that was gifted in both the art of healing and communing with StarClan, then they would be honored with a name few others had and would receive.

            “I… I just hope I can live up to Petrelswoop’s expectations,” Bluemoon said quietly, almost to himself.

            “You already have,” Eagleheart told him. “And when the kits come, you might have yourself a future apprentice to help keep your head on your shoulders.”

            It was that statement that seemed to shock Bluemoon out of his daze. “Oh, StarClan, the queens!”

            In the time Eagleheart blinked the little tom was flying into the cave like he had wings on his paws. Stormstar, who was on her way out, nearly jumped out of her fur when Bluemoon zoomed by the clan leader.

            “Is he alright? Is Petrelswoop…” Stormstar asked hesitantly, ears laid back with sorrow and fear.

            Eagleheart nodded. “Both Bluemoon and I were with him when he died. We buried him by the sea.”

            “Good. It… it was his time. He was old.” Stormstar shut her eyes and exhaled shakily.

            Eagleheart bumped his head against her shoulder. “And now we have Bluemoon, one of the best medicine cats TideClan will ever have.”

            “Bluemoon… a perfect name for him,” Stormstar agreed, a sliver of that familiar twinkle coming back to her eyes. The clan leader relaxed as the morning sun came out behind the clouds, bathing the cliffs that faced the sea in cool shadow. She flopped over on her side and watched a patrol leave for the forest.

            But Petrelswoop’s last words kept ringing around in the back of his mind. _Beware the briar, for even the strongest warriors can become ensnared in it…_ What did that mean?

            Of course, he already had an idea, but Eagleheart refused to even consider it any further. His sister wasn’t an enemy. She just wasn’t.

            There was also the possibility that Petrelswoop’s mind had given way during his last moments of life. He was tired and no doubt in a lot of pain, his head fogged over from the illness that had sapped at his energy for StarClan knows how long; not to mention he had just dragged himself all the way to the Mooncave and then halfway back. Surely his panicked rambling held the chance of meaning nothing?

            In an instant, Eagleheart knew what he had to do. It was time for Bluemoon to tell him about the prophecy he had received before he and Redbriar had come to TideClan.

           A large black paw shoved against his leg. “You think too loud.”

           “Sorry, clan leader,” Eagleheart said wryly. “It’s just… a lot has happened.”

           “Indeed. Care to elaborate?”

           He hesitated briefly, and then spoke in a tone quiet enough for just her to here. “Before he died, Petrelswoop told me to beware briar.”

           “Briar?” Stormstar’s tail flicked uneasily. When she didn’t meet Eagleheart’s eyes, a surge of frustration seared through his belly.

           “It doesn’t have to do anything with Redbriar,” he stated.

           “… Alright,” Stormstar agreed, scratching lightly at the stone with her claws. “But we don’t exactly have another cat here with the name of ‘briar’.”

           “It doesn’t have to be a TideClan cat. It could be one of the rogues, or some other threat we haven’t faced yet.” Eagleheart was a little worried that Stormstar immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was one of their own who was going to betray them in some fashion. Then again, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable for her to think like that with how many of her clanmates thought of _her._

           Stormstar slowly nodded, but Eagleheart could tell she wasn’t really on the same path as him. “I suppose you’re right. And then there’s the matter of the prophecy that foretold the arrival of you and your sister…”

           “What did it say?” he asked eagerly.

           “ _When the storm breaks, two will come, a brother and a sister. The sister brings knowledge, the brother, the power of love. And nothing will be the same,”_ the black-and-silver molly recited quietly.

          “When the storm breaks… that better not be you,” Eagleheart said, only half-joking. “You’re under enough stress as it is.”

          “Mmph. Don’t remind me.”

          The two lapsed into silence. Part of him was relieved that he wouldn’t have to wring the prophecy out of Bluemoon; he really didn’t want to drive the healer further up the cave wall with the added anxiety.

_A brother and a sister._

          That meant him and Redbriar, there was absolutely no doubt about it. Eagleheart relaxed. If she was already part of another prophecy with him, then StarClan must already have known that she was completely loyal to TideClan. With a tired sigh, he curled up on the rock next to her and buried his face between her broad shoulders.

          A flicker of movement caught his eye before he dozed off, and reluctantly he looked up to see what it was, only to meet the narrowed green eyes of Rosepetal.

          The calico warrior stood taller than when Eagleheart had first met her- maybe it was her growing confidence in herself, maybe she had just managed another growth spurt, and he became slightly worried when he saw the anger on her face. Anger, and… jealousy?

          “You might want to keep your paws off Stormstar. Rosepetal’s been mooning after her since the day we brought her home,” a raspy voice whispered into his ear.

          Eagleheart barely managed to avoid jumping out of his fur the moment Otterscratch had started speaking. “Great StarClan, don’t scare me like that! And _really?”_

          “Really.” The black tabby scooted in next to him. “I told her about me being a tom just the other day, and then she told me she likes mollies! Isn’t it great?”

          “Yeah!” Eagleheart looked back to Rosepetal, who was still glaring at him like he insulted her ancestors, and very pointedly removed his paw from her flank. He nodded at her with his head lowered to just above Stormstar’s shoulder.

          Rosepetal stiffened in surprise, like she couldn’t believe she won the invisible battle. Her hackles went down, and she gave Eagleheart a slow, grateful blink before prancing off with her bushy tail held high in the air.

          “I’m surprised she hasn’t tried making a move sooner. Isn’t she worried about some tom stealing Stormstar away from her?” Eagleheart asked.

          “Nope. Stormstar swings the same way.”

          Eagleheart just about fell off the cliff. “She… how do you _know_ all this?”

          “Hey, you aren’t the only cat who sticks his nose in everybody’s business.” Otterscratch cackled at his own reply and scratched at his neck. Eagleheart winced when a few fleas came flying off like specks of dirt.

          “You need to get back in the ocean and drown those before we all catch them, Otterscratch,” Eagleheart groaned, swatting at the little parasites as they hopped away.

          “Aw, c’mon, prissy-paws. Everybody gets fleas at least once a season cycle,” Otterscratch snickered, pawing at the other tabby’s flank. Eagleheart whined in disgust and kicked away from him. If Otterscratch was fine with little things sucking on his blood and making him itchy, that was _his_ problem.

          “By the way, when’s your next heat due? Let me know what I can do to help,” Eagleheart told him, dropping his voice to a whisper.

          “According to Fireflower, who likes to keep track of this kind of stuff, in about a moon. My saving grace is that thanks to living in a tightly-knit clan, cats who go into heat will all do so together,” Otterscratch explained in a matter-of-fact tone. “Normally, biological females will have their heats every moon. But because we all live together in the same area and socialize almost constantly, we clan cats get to have ours just twice a season cycle.”

         Eagleheart blinked. “Huh.”

         “Ugh, I’ve been hanging out with your sister way too much. But I digress. I’m going to ask Stormstar to send me on a ‘scouting mission’ into the outer forest regions to try and see if Thicket’s rogues are there,” Otterscratch told him.

         “A scouting mission, huh? Like you’re not going to try and start a fight with the first thing you come across that breathes?” the bigger tabby snorted.

         “Kiss my ass!”

         “Uh-huh.”

         The two lapsed into comfortable silence. As he finally let himself unwind from the events of the previous night, Eagleheart finally began to appreciate how tired he truly was. He hadn’t slept in a night _and_ a day, and his head was beginning to feel a little fuzzy from exhaustion. With a massive yawn and a stretch, Eagleheart mumbled a farewell to Otterscratch before stumbling into the cave to sleep.

         As he passed the medicine den, he caught a glimpse of Bluemoon, back facing the entrance and hunched over something on the stone. He backed up and peered around the medicine cat, and his heart froze in his chest.

         Bluemoon was looking at the vine-ensnared eagle feather he had found on the beach not too many moons ago.

_Not vine. Briar._

         Mood souring immediately, Eagleheart stormed into the warriors’ den and practically dove into his nest. He’d go to sleep, and when he woke up again everything would be fine.

         It would all be just fine.


	32. Chapter 32

            He had gone to sleep with the hope that one of the fallen warriors of the latest battle would come and speak to him, or even Nightstar. But for the first time since Eagleheart came to TideClan, his dreams were dark, brief, and as far as he could tell, meaningless. He slept fitfully until an urgent prodding at his flank woke him up.

            An angry groan escaped him as he was forcefully dragged back to the waking world. His whole body felt as heavy as rock, like he had only been asleep for a brief moment. When his unknown assailant continued poking him, Eagleheart rolled over and swatted at them, slurring a plea for them to leave him alone.

            “-gleheart? Eagleheart! Wake up!”

            At last, he forced himself to pry his eyes open, and looked right up into the panicked gazes of Shadowstep and Softstep.

            The dark tabby groaned. “What do you _want.”_

            “It’s time,” Shadowstep hissed urgently.

            “Time for you both to let me sleep?” Eagleheart mumbled. He didn’t know if the black warrior had understood him, and he really didn’t care.

            “Redbriar and Aukletflight have gone into labor.”

            It was a short moment before that statement really registered in his mind.

            _“StarClan!_ Oh, shit, _shit!”_ Eagleheart gasped as he scrambled to his feet. “How long? When did they start?”

            “Very early this morning. Bluemoon’s with them. We’re not allowed in, of course, but we thought you should know,” Softstep said shakily.

            “Yeah… yeah, thanks for telling me,” Eagleheart replied. He swallowed, trying to calm his thundering pulse.

            His sister was giving birth. Just a short dash away, Redbriar was undergoing one of the hardest battles any cat could go through in their lifetime, and she would need every bit of strength and courage she had to win. It was enough to make his stomach churn with anxiety.

            Beside him, the two fathers-to-be crouched close together and didn’t speak a word. They just stared at the cave wall with wide eyes like they couldn’t believe what was happening.

            “They’ll be fine, of course. Queens have been doing this since forever,” Softstep muttered, almost to himself. “They have a kind of strength we don’t.”

            “Hush,” Shadowstep growled.

            In the pile of senior warriors at the other end of the den, Flameflash’s head popped up, tufted ears pricked as tall as they would go. “Did I hear right? Redbriar and Aukletlflight are giving birth?”

            “They sure are,” Eagleheart said tersely.

            “May StarClan be with them, then,” the calico yawned, eyes twinkling with sleepy delight. She fell back against Acornfall and started snoring.

            Eagleheart didn’t know how anybody could be sleeping at a time like this, but he knew that worrying and sitting around wasn’t going to make the kittens come faster. He stood and nudged Softstep. “Come on, let’s go hunting.”

            The golden tabby blinked up at him. _“What?_ Right now?”

            “Yes, right now. It’ll help you both feel better.” Leaving no room for debate, Eagleheart padded out of the den, refusing to look at the nursery as he passed it.

            Softstep and Shadowstep caught up to him at the forest’s edge. As he led them deeper into the brush, heavy with fog, the clouded expressions the other toms wore began to fade. Eagleheart pointed Softstep in the direction of a vole burrow, and Shadowstep found the scent trail of a rabbit soon after and took off. As the sun had not come up yet, the air was still delightfully crisp, and Eagleheart took a long moment to enjoy the feeling of the gentle ocean breeze on his coat. The warm season wouldn’t last long, he knew, and like every self-respecting TideClan cat the dark tabby took comfortable weather when he could get it.

            The three tomcats did a loose circle around the territory before heading down to the beach to fish. The freezing water helped shock some sense into Eagleheart as the eastern horizon turned from black to gray, and then gray to pink-violet.

            As the last of the stars faded from the sky, an unspoken agreement between the three of them made them travel back up to the cave; they could wait no longer. Eagleheart settled down into his nest and waited for Bluemoon to come and give them the verdict. Shadowstep and Softstep paced around the warriors’ den and jumped at random noises. Eagleheart would have laughed if he wasn’t just as nervous as they were.

            He didn’t know how much time had passed before Bluemoon came for them but judging by the angle of sunlight coming down past the mouth of the cave it was close to noon. When Eagleheart saw the medicine cat stumble into the den, barely conscious from exhaustion, he and a few other warriors scrambled to their feet in excitement. Flameflash said something to Eggfur and punched her shoulder in good humor.

            Dark blue eyes found Shadowstep and Softstep, and a bit of life came back into Bluemoon’s eyes. “Congratulations, the both of you. All of the kits are strong and healthy, and the queens are doing great.”

            Softstep collapsed with a sob of relief. Shadowstep kept his composure, as he always did, but there was no mistaking the overwhelming joy in those pale yellow-green eyes.

            Eagleheart felt like doing a backflip and kissing Bluemoon silly, but he managed to keep himself to just an enthusiastic nuzzle, contenting himself with the tangy scent of the healer.

            “Thank you,” he whispered, too low for anyone to hear but Bluemoon. The small tom purred under his breath and led the three of them to the nursery.

            At first, Eagleheart was filled with terror when the smell of blood hit his nose, but as he sniffed again he realized that it wasn’t the blood of an injured cat. It was the smell of _birth,_ the entrance of new life into the world.

            Resting in their nests at the other end of the nursery were Redbriar and Aukletflight, with Spikeclaw and Snowsky keeping an eye on them. Fireflower, the most experienced queen in TideClan, dozed nearby.

            “She’s what healers call a doula,” Bluemoon murmured in Eagleheart’s ear. “She helps any she-cat who’s giving birth.”

            “Huh,” the tabby said, but his attention immediately went to Redbriar when she stirred and glanced over her shoulder with a sleepy look on her face.

            “You will never believe what I just went through,” she croaked, voice rough from sleep and exertion. “Holy StarClan.”

            Aukletflight snorted as she woke. “You can say that again. My vagina still hurts.”

            “Too much information,” Softstep complained, but he still hurried over to the queens and peered over Redbriar. Amber eyes blew wide. A shaky breath left his mouth.

            Eagleheart slowly crept forward, and when his sister didn’t protest, he scooted around to her other side.

Time stopped In its tracks.

            Curled up at her belly were four kittens, suckling busily and pawing at their mother’s fur. One was a fiery red tom, with a cream-colored brother who was slightly smaller than him. Beside the boys were two mollies- a dark tortoiseshell and a torbie, colored russet and gold like a sunrise. The tortoiseshell, sensing another cat, lifted her little round head and sniffled in Eagleheart’s direction, brushing her nose against his.

            Then, she gave the tiniest sneeze and snuggled back against her siblings.

            He couldn’t speak. His heart was breaking in the best way and the feeling was destroying him from the inside out. Before him was a new reason to live; his precious nieces and nephews, more family for him to love unconditionally.

            Eagleheart’s throat was tight with emotion, but he forced himself to speak. “Redbriar, they’re _perfect.”_

            “Aren’t they?” she boasted, pleased as a fox who had discovered a burrow of rabbits. “Look, Softstep, that pale one looks just like you!”

            “He does, doesn’t he? How about… Birdkit? After Jumpingbird?” Softstep asked.

            “I think that’s a great name,” Redbriar agreed. “The ginger tom will be Pinekit, after the forest Eagleheart and I walked through when we first came to TideClan. Oh, and I want the tortoiseshell to be Spottedkit. Look at her face; she just has the _cutest_ freckles.”

            “Dawnkit for the torbie? In honor of new beginnings,” Softstep concluded, stretching out beside his mate.

            “No, I want Eagleheart to name that one,” Redbriar argued.

            “She looks like a little dawn to me,” Eagleheart told her. It was true, he realized- the little kit was more tawny than red, like a sunrise on a cool spring morning.

            “For new beginnings, then,” Redbriar agreed, an unreadable glint in her eyes. “For all new beginnings and the brightest of futures for TideClan.”

            She relaxed against Softstep, giving a massive yawn and closing her eyes.

            When it looked like his sister was comfortable for the moment, Eagleheart quietly got up to visit Aukletflight and Shadowstep. Spikeclaw, who was allowed close to the other queen because she was Shadowstep’s brother, was draped over his back with her front legs dangling over his flank. She looked very tired and very pregnant. Eagleheart guessed that watching Redbriar and Aukletflight give birth wasn’t the most stress-relieving activity an expecting mother could partake in.

            His friends were huddled close together, talking softly. Eagleheart waited until Shadowstep noticed him before approaching. The big black tom purred so hard Eagleheart could just about feel the vibrations through the rock, but both he and Aukletflight looked tense.

            “Everything okay?” the tabby asked.

            “Of course. It’s just… look at the tom. He looks just like Thicket,” Shadowstep said apprehensively. “I worry that the clan will have a bias against him for that.”

            “Nonsense. What Thicket took from TideClan, he’ll give back in the form of his grandson,” Eagleheart told him.

            “Exactly,” Aukletflight said proudly. “Besides, look at our daughters! Twin mollies, like your mother and aunt. If we ever run into them again I hope they shit themselves when they see them.”

            Shadowstep’s whiskers twitched in amusement. “Agreed.”

            “You know, if our parents get close enough to our kits to see them, I’ll shred them,” Spikeclaw commented, sounding like she was half-asleep.

            “Redbriar, I’m going to name my son after you!” Aukletflight called over.

            “Oh, no, Aukletflight,” Redbriar protested half-heartedly, but Eagleheart could tell his sister was eating it up.

            “His name is Briarkit,” Aukletflight announced.

            “Not fair, I already named all of mine!” Redbriar groaned.

            “Eh, there’s always the next litter.”

            “True.”

            Both Softstep and Shadowstep looked a little alarmed at the prospect of “the next litter”, but wisely did not say anything.

<> 

            A quarter-moon later, it was Spikeclaw’s turn.

            As some rogue had simply done her a favor and carried on his way, Shadowstep and Eagleheart were the ones to stay awake should Bluemoon need any help. StarClan had truly smiled down upon TideClan that spring, for Spikeclaw gave birth to three healthy kittens- two toms and a molly. Their father must have been ginger, for one of the toms was a light red tabby with a ruff the color of sunlight. His brother was black as shadow, a perfect reflection of his mother, and the she-cat was a fluffy tortoiseshell the color of a smoky twilight sky.

            “You pick your toms well,” Redbriar said begrudgingly when she saw the kits for the first time. Beside her, Aukletflight nodded in agreement, golden eyes wide with admiration.

            “Have you thought of names?” Eagleheart asked.

            Spikeclaw looked a little sheepish. “Uh, not really.”

            Redbriar snorted. “Figures.”

            Eagleheart glared at her before turning back to the smaller queen. “The ginger tom looks like a Sunkit to me.”

            “Sunkit, huh?” Spikeclaw said amusedly. “You always did like the cute names.”

            “It’s not a cute name, it’s _magnificent!”_ he protested.

            “Whatever you say, chubby boy. Guess my firstborn is named Sunkit.” Spikeclaw leaned over to nuzzle the little kitten, who squeaked at the gentle touch. The dark tabby stared in awe; he had never seen her be so careful before. “But those two are named Beetlekit and Batkit.”

            Eagleheart laughed at that. “Batkit? Didn’t I call you a bat when you joined TideClan?”

            “You sure did. Your hideous nickname for me will be memorialized by my daughter,” Spikeclaw said proudly.

            Redbriar sniffed distastefully and strutted back to her own nest, curling up with her kittens and pointedly ignoring the black-furred queen.

            Thankfully, the soured moment was saved by Otterscratch and Dustypool barreling into the nursery to visit the older kittens, who were already beginning to recognize some of their doting friends and family. Pinekit’s eyes were opening, with the left eye a little wider than the right, giving him a slightly goofy appearance. Spottedkit was right behind her brother, and the two frequently tussled over who got the best spot at feedings. Dawnkit was more of a peacemaker between the two than a contender, and Birdkit, the smallest of the four, just preferred to sleep, eat, and poop, and not always necessarily in that order. Eagleheart liked to think his nieces and nephews all balanced each other out very well.

            “Aah!” Spottedkit squealed excitedly when Eagleheart nosed her back to Redbriar, half-stumbling, half-crawling on baby-chubby legs. She had started walking just that morning, much to everyone’s amazement; kittens usually didn’t start moving around on their own until they were half a moon old. Upon hearing his sister’s cry, Pinekit poked his head out from underneath Redbriar’s bushy tail and squeaked back at her.

            Eagleheart turned to leave, as he was due for patrol that evening, but ended up having to herd all four kittens back to his sister before he could so much as look towards the entrance to the nursery.

            “They love you more than me,” Redbriar complained as she held back a wriggling Spottedkit. “Sit _still,_ you little wildcat! Don’t make me call your father!”

            “Fa-dar?” Birdkit asked, blue eyes wide with hope.

            Eagleheart gasped. “He’s trying to say ‘father’! Holy StarClan, let me go get Softstep!”

            “Yeah, sure,” Redbriar mumbled unenthusiastically, much more interested in getting Dawnkit to stop chewing on her fur than the prospect of seeing her mate.

            Something like uneasiness prickled in his belly, but the dark tabby just turned and padded out of the nursery to go find Softstep.

            The golden tabby was chatting with Otterscratch and tearing up a plump lemming when Eagleheart trotted up to him. “Uh, Birdkit’s starting to say words now, I think. Thought you’d like to know.”

            “He’s talking? _Fantastic!”_ Softstep surged to his feet, whiskers twitching in delight. Before he made for the nursery, however, he paused. “Redbriar didn’t ask for me, didn’t she?”

            “I mean, I offered to come get you, and she said that was fine…” Eagleheart explained, voice trailing off.

            Softstep just sighed as he passed the bigger tom, a little less spring in his uneven gait than usual. Eagleheart watched him go without another word.

            “She’s not good for him.”

            He turned to Otterscratch, hackles tingling. “I beg your pardon?”

            “I said that Redbriar isn’t good for my brother. Or any cat, really,” he scoffed.

            A growl rose from his throat in leu of a protest. His tail lashed.

            The black tabby didn’t look too impressed. “Yeah yeah, I know that she’s your sister and everything. I’m just saying that the way treats other people is kind of… distasteful.”

            “Redbriar would never hurt anybody,” he spat.

            Otterscratch just hauled himself to his feet and padded towards the small group of cats that had gathered at the other end of the cliff ledge. “Whatever you say, Eagleheart. Are you coming on patrol or what?”

            Neither of them realized somebody had been listening to them.


	33. Chapter 33

            By the next day, Eagleheart had managed to put Otterscratch’s ominous words out of his head. Fishing season was back in full swing, and it seemed like every cat in the clan was in the ocean both day and night, swimming out to the edge of the bay and sometimes beyond.

            That, or they were _learning_ how to swim.

            When Eagleheart took Shadowstep swimming for the first time, he could tell it was taking everything in the black warrior to not start yowling in protest. His short fur did not shed water like the coats of his longer-haired clanmates, and while it was lighter to swim with and dried faster it did not offer the same protection against the cold.

            “It’s a bit… chilly,” Shadowstep gasped once he had to start paddling. “Surely waiting another moon would make the water more comfortable?”

            “No can do, boy! We make the most of what we have,” Boulderfoot called from a nearby outcropping of rock. Swimming in circles around him was the recruit Rosepetal, who seemed to be having a good time in the water.

            Gritting his teeth, Shadowstep made a slow loop around the shallows of the bay before scrambling up on to the sand and flopping down.

            “You’re going to be picking sand out of your belly fur all evening,” Eagleheart commented dryly.

            “Shut your muzzle.”

            The sound of galloping paws made them both look up. Stormstar came thundering over to them, amber eyes glinting in worry. “Has anybody seen Otterscratch lately? He said he was on for the afternoon patrol, but he never showed up.”

            _Oh, no, he must have had his heat!_ Eagleheart thought worriedly.

            “Shall I-“ Shadowstep began, but the dark tabby was already scrambling to his feet.

            “I’ll go get him,” Eagleheart said quickly. “He found a rabbit burrow the other day, he’s probably just looking around there.”

            Without waiting for a response, he trotted quickly up the cliff path and headed directly for the forest.

            Upon finding the spot where he had picked up Otterscratch’s scent the last time, Eagleheart threaded through the towering pines towards the edge of clan territory. The farther he went, however, the more nervous he got. Otterscratch wasn’t due for another quarter-moon; none of the clan females had even began to show signs of going into heat. So why had the shorter tom left so early?

            Despite the growing ache in his legs, Eagleheart didn’t pause when he reached the border, and instead kept a steady pace into the mossy woods beyond. Overhead, the sun began making its way down from its highest point in the sky.

            Just as he was beginning to think Otterscratch wasn’t in the area, he caught the scent of another cat on a log he had just jumped over. Eagleheart quickly doubled back and leaned over the fallen tree to make sure it was the tom he was looking for, and sure enough.

            The tabby darted off in the direction that the smell led.

            When the trail led to Otterscratch’s normal hiding place, Eagleheart didn’t hesitate to dive into the burrow and sniff around.

            It was empty. There was no sign of him.

            Eagleheart scrambled back out, hackles beginning to rise, and looked around. “Otterscratch? Hey, Otterscratch!”

             He didn’t get a response. Upon going back to the scent trail, he found it broken in several places, which completely confused him. Unless the black tabby had learned how to fly, Eagleheart couldn’t see how his smell could have vanished so randomly.

            He broke into a run as the trail got slightly stronger. Just behind a rise, Eagleheart found more traces of Otterscratch, but no sign of the tom himself.

            Just as he turned around to head back to Otterscratch’s hiding place, another scent hit his nose. It was faint, but it was definitely there.

            “Rogue,” Eagleheart whispered, and that was when he heard the agonized whine.

            The big warrior didn’t even think before all but flying over the rise. Ahead, the thick brush cast shadows across the forest floor and cooled it. Eagleheart crashed through the thicket, barely feeling the sharp sting of thorn and bracken against his face and would have tripped right over Otterscratch if he hadn’t slipped on the blood.

            At his paws, the stocky tabby lay motionless. Dark green eyes were opened and glazed. The fur on his face and neck was crusted over with dried blood. His mouth was open, tongue lolling out into the dirt like a dead animal on the side of a road.

            A strangled scream split the air. It took a moment before Eagleheart realized it had come from him.

            _“Otterscratch!_ Otter-“ He broke off with a sob, hyperventilating. His paws skidded out from underneath him, and he collapsed next to his fallen friend. The world tilted dangerously around him and narrowed down to just the two of them in the damp forest.

            Shocked and heartbroken as he was, he almost missed the faintest of breaths escaping from Otterscratch’s mouth.

            “Otterscratch,” he gasped, touching one broad flank with a trembling paw. It was so small it was almost unnoticeable, but if he concentrated hard enough, he could feel the rise and fall of the other tabby’s breathing.

            As fast and as carefully as he could, Eagleheart nosed Otterscratch’s neck to search for the wound. He found it on the back of his neck, just under the skull. How he had survived the bite was beyond him, but somehow, Otterscratch had found the strength to stay alive.

            The bite marks had scabbed over, but if he didn’t get the tom back to camp then they would get infected and kill Otterscratch once and for all. As far as he could tell, Otterscratch had been laying there since that morning.

            “Oh, StarClan give me the strength,” Eagleheart choked as he nosed his way under Otterscratch, pushing the tom on to his back. He hung there, limp and unresponsive. “Please don’t die, Otterscratch. _Please.”_

            With shaky paws, Eagleheart stumbled back towards TideClan territory.

            The journey was long, painful, and too slow. Deep down, he knew that Otterscratch wasn’t going to make it. He had found him too late.

            He was too late.

            “Cat friend.”

            The deep, raspy voice behind Eagleheart almost made him jump, but he was barely coherent enough to look back at whoever had spoken to him.

            He stared in disbelief at a pair of familiar amber eyes. “You… it’s you.”

            The vixen dipped her head. “Smelled the blood of Clan cat. I came to see and hoped it was not you. Now, give him to me.”

            “What?”

            She slunk forward and crouched beside Eagleheart. “Put him on my back. Am stronger than you and faster.”

            In a daze, Eagleheart obeyed. The fox arranged Otterscratch on her long back with a shrug of her shoulders, and swiftly trotted towards the nearby border.

            In felt like moons, but he and the vixen finally found the cliff. Newfound energy surging through him, Eagleheart scrambled past her and led the way down the path to camp, howling for help.

            Bluemoon came flying from the cave before his cry had finished leaving his throat. When he saw the vixen with a dying Otterscratch on her back, azure eyes widened in utter shock, and almost unconsciously he stumbled forward.

            “Follow us,” Eagleheart managed to say. Without looking back, he staggered after Bluemoon as they made their way to the medicine den.

            Yowls of shock and grief rung in his ears as the vixen laid Otterscratch down before Bluemoon. The medicine cat was already going to work, grooming the fur and dried blood away from the bite so he had a clear area to work with. Then he brought out some herbs, shredding one kind of leaf and patting the paste down on Otterscratch’s wound. The other plant was chewed and then worked into the fur surrounding it.

            “What is that cat doing?” the vixen muttered to Eagleheart.

            “Cleaning the wound so it doesn’t get infected. Those plants will also speed up the healing process.”

            “Mm. How sophisticated,” she murmured, almost to herself.

            An agonized shriek made Eagleheart’s hackles stand up. He barely had time to get out of the way before Fireflower came flying into the medicine den and collapsed in a heap by her kit. The ginger queen’s muscular shoulders shook as she quickly pushed herself back up, teeth bared and eyes narrowed to glowing green slits.

            _“Who did this to my son?!”_ she roared, rounding on Eagleheart with her back arched. “Did you smell rogues? Where did you find him?”

            “O-Out of clan ground, in the other pine forest, with-with the moss,” Eagleheart stammered, more than a little terrified. “And there was the smell of a rogue, yes.”

            Fireflower snarled loud enough to make a coyote tremble, and then she locked eyes with the vixen. “What in StarClan’s name is _that_ doing here?!”

            “She saved your son’s life. Show some respect,” Eagleheart said roughly.

            “She’s a _fox!”_

            “I’m aware.”

            Bluemoon looked up from Otterscratch, looking vastly annoyed. “Can you all shut up so I can concentrate?”

            Fireflower gritted her teeth and backed away. “I’m sorry, Bluemoon.”

            There was a huff of breath by Eagleheart’s ear. “Why is the big mother cat scared of that twig boy?”

            “Bluemoon’s our medicine cat and teller of prophecies. He’s one of the most powerful cats in the clan,” he told her.

            “Powerful… with mind? Not tooth and claw,” the vixen realized.

            “Yeah, exactly.”

            “Eagleheart, I’m glad you’re making friends, but why are you talking about me?” Bluemoon asked dryly as he yanked clots of blood and dirt out of Otterscratch’s ruff.

            “She wanted to know why you’re putting leaves in Otterscratch’s fur and why Fireflower didn’t attack you when you scolded her,” he explained.

            Dark blue eyes flicked up to his own, and Eagleheart’s gut twisted. “What’s her name?”

            With a jolt of surprise, Eagleheart realized he still had no idea what this fox was named, or if she even had one. “I have no idea. Um, what’s your name?” he asked nervously, addressing the vixen.

            She looked a little wary of his question but relented. “Name… hm. I have many names, as all foxes do. But the name my mother gave me is Uki. It means ‘survivor’.”

            “Oh, okay.” He turned to Bluemoon. “Her name’s Uki.”

            Fireflower blinked, and then slowly turned to Uki and rose to her feet, perfectly emotionless. Then the queen did something that shocked everyone.

            She bowed.

            “You… you saved my son. I owe you everything.” Fireflower’s muzzle brushed the floor of the cave, the back of her neck exposed to the vixen.

            Eagleheart turned to Uki. “Fireflower is indebted to you for saving her son.”

            Uki stared. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking or feeling, as usual, but for the first time Eagleheart was almost certain he saw something flicker in those flame-colored eyes. “Tell her that from one mother to another, a child’s life needs no repayment.”

            Eagleheart relayed the message to Fireflower. The queen blinked, stunned, before bowing once more and laying back down with Otterscratch.

            A weak cough broke the silence, followed by a fit of hacking. Fireflower gasped as Otterscratch’s eyes blew wide open. His lower jaw hung loose from his head. He sucked in harsh, shallow breaths before Fireflower hushed him, rasping her tongue over his ear in long, soothing strokes.

            “Momma,” Otterscratch croaked.

            “You’re okay, baby, I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” Fireflower dragged herself closer to her son, releasing a shaky breath. “You’re going to be alright.”

            “Rogues…”

            “I know, love. We’ll destroy them all and dance over their dead bodies, they’ll regret the day they decided to put their claws on my baby-“ the queen vowed, shredding at the rock she was laying on.

            “No, more than rogues, there was…” Otterscratch began, but passed out before he could finish his sentence.

            Eagleheart watched the other tom worriedly, wondering what he could have been talking about. He caught Bluemoon’s eye, who he could tell was thinking about the same thing. Even Uki seemed mildly interested.

            “Softstep should be getting back from the evening patrol, Eagleheart, would you do me a favor and fetch him for me?” Fireflower asked quietly.

            “Y-Yeah, of course.” Eagleheart nodded to her and Bluemoon and slipped out of the medicine den.

            Unfortunately, he then had to deal with a crowd of even more anxious TideClan cats.

            “Is he dead?”

            “Eagleheart, what happened?”

            “I smell blood!”

            “It was those damned rogues, wasn’t it?”

            “Excuse me, please, thank you. No, Lightningpaw, he’s not dead. Yes, he’ll be fine. I- yes, Thunderfoot, I scented rogues in the area-“ the dark tabby stammered, overwhelmed by all of the questions that were thrown at him by what seemed like the entire clan.

            As luck would have (and not have) it, a fox following him out of the medicine den shut them up quite nicely.

            Eagleheart had to admit it: the sight of every cat in the cave taking a collective leap back was a humorous sight. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Redbriar poke her head out of the nursery and freeze in shock.

            A few cats moved aside to let somebody through, and Stormstar appeared from in-between Acornfall and Flameflash. “Eagleheart, what is the meaning of this?”

            Her tone was far from angry, but he didn’t need to look at her too closely to see the rising fur along her neck and tail. Eagleheart realized how this must look to her and the rest of TideClan- one of their own bringing an enemy creature into the cave.

            “Warriors of TideClan, meet Uki,” he began, making sure he was speaking loudly enough for everybody to hear. His voice cracked, and he coughed to clear his throat. “She’s the same fox I escorted out of our territory this last winter. She also saved Otterscratch’s life today by helping me bring him to Bluemoon. Without her, I wouldn’t have been able to make it in time.”

            Muttering and growls swept over the clan.

            “What attacked him?” Falconflight shouted from the back.

            Eagleheart heard the unspoken question. _Was it your fox friend?_

“We both found the scent of rogues in the area. Our best guess is that…” He shook his head and swallowed, unable to continue. He couldn’t even muster the energy to be angry at Falconflight’s accusation.

            “Otterscratch!”

            Eggfur had to step aside to allow a frantic Softstep to come limping through. The golden tabby’s ears were pinned back in fear as he scrambled into the medicine den, barely giving Uki a second glance. A low cry resounding off the stone a moment after. Eagleheart’s blood ran cold. When he turned back to look at the vixen, she was already trotting out of the cave, obviously eager to remove herself from the cats. Nobody tried to stop her.

            A dead silence settled over the cave. When it broke, it was not to the reluctant grumblings of cats going back to their patrols and training.

            _“Stormstar!_ Your weak attempt at peace has cost us the lives of too many warriors.” It was Falconflight who finally stalked forward, teeth bared. “You allow this young cat to bring a fox into our home, you refuse to launch another attack on Thicket and his forces, and yet you continue to act like everything is just fine. What have you to say for yourself?”

            The black-and-silver molly stared at him. “I… There is another way to all of this, Falconflight. Not every conflict must be resolved with a war.”

            Falconflight strode right up to Stormstar and shoved his face right against hers. “Then pray tell, _clan leader,_ what is it? Do we continue to try and negotiate with a mad tom and his bloodthirsty followers? Because that just seems to work out _lovely,_ don’t we all agree?”

            Several angry yowls of agreement echoed off the cave walls and made Eagleheart’s blood run cold. He stepped forward to stand beside Stormstar, tail twitching.

            “Are you forgetting who you’re talking to, dear tom? Because it seems that your lack of restraint and respect is blinding you to the reality of the situation,” Stormstar hissed.

            “Blinding _me?_ No, Stormstar. Do you have the idea so deeply wrought in your head that this clan cannot fight a war? That we must hold on to our peaceful life so tightly that we roll over on our backs at the first sign of an enemy? I ask you these questions because I cannot, _will not_ let my dear Grassbug look down from the heavens at a clan that does not fight back!” Both Falconflight and Stormstar were now standing nose-to-nose, backs arched and pelts spiked up as far as they would go. The angry cries of warriors who sided with Falconflight grew louder and louder until it nearly drowned out the sounds of the ocean outside.

            “She swore to kill Thicket if he came back and look at her now!” Eggfur snarled.

            “Rainfeather is dead! Half our apprentices and elders are _dead!”_

            “What about the kittens?”

            “We need to attack tonight,” Eagleheart heard Thunderfoot growl to Shadowstep.

            Just as the deafening roar of outraged and arguing cats became too much, an earsplitting howl rose above the chaos and cut the rest of the clan off.

            Eagleheart turned to see Bluemoon striding out of the medicine den. Deep azure eyes seemed to glow in the shadows, making every cat freeze in place. Upon the healer’s face was a scowl so fierce that it made even Falconflight take a few steps back as he approached.

            “Bluemoon! Surely StarClan has sent some sign to show their disapproval over Stormstar’s rule?” Blossompelt croaked from next to Fireflower.

            Bluemoon’s tail lashed. “StarClan has sent me not one omens, but two. One is that a brother and a sister will come, the sister with knowledge and the brother with love. The other is that we must beware the briar.”

            Warriors, elders, and apprentices alike all turned to each other, confusion evident by their body language. Flameflash whispered something into Acornfall’s ear, and he unsheathed his claws in what looked like agreement.

            “Neither of them appears to will Stormstar to step down from her position as clan leader,” Bluemoon continued. “But what our ancestors have told us is that we must stand together in these hard times, not split apart. It is true that Stormstar has not carried out her threat to eradicate the threat of Thicket, nor devise an offensive plan to drive out the rogues for good. Our attempts at peace between our two factions were not, however, in vain. We have gained two warriors from the rogues, and through one of them, three new members of TideClan. As we move forward, we must remember that all bad things can bring forth good ones, and perhaps even the good things that bring about the end of our strife.”

            Slowly, hackles began to lay flat, and the scent of anger and fear faded from the damp air. Everybody stopped glaring at Stormstar like they wanted to maul her. Falconflight stepped away from the clan leader and sat down next to Acornfall.

            Eagleheart couldn’t take it anymore. As subtly as he could, he slipped away from the rest of the clan and into the nursery.

            Redbriar watched him as he slunk over to her and curled up in a tight ball. She didn’t say anything, but she did let her kittens crawl up to him and snuggle against his face and chest. Spottedkit mewed in his ear, and despite himself Eagleheart cracked a smile.

            “We’ll figure this out,” his sister promised him as he dozed off. And then, in a much quieter voice, _“I’ll_ figure this out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uki's one of my favorite characters to write. We'll definitely be seeing more of her in the future!


	34. Chapter 34

            Waiting for Otterscratch to wake up was excruciating.

            Not only was everybody concerned that the black tabby would never recover, but Otterscratch was also the clan’s hope for which rogues were going around and killing cats. He would be the first survivor of such a terrible wound by them should he live. Stormstar, who was already struggling with anxiety, made sure to remind Bluemoon of that whenever she got the chance.

In the midst of all the tension and hostility, Eagleheart’s only refuge were his nieces and nephews. Now just over a half-moon old, their eyes were now open and they all crawled around the nursery, babbling away to themselves and anybody who would listen.

            Spottedkit, the little fiery fluffball who had begun to walk (or stumble, rather) just a few days ago, squealed excitedly when she saw Eagleheart slip into the nursery. She scooted up to him as fast as she could and started batting at his front paws.

            “She’s growing fast!” Eagleheart chuckled, rasping his tongue over her dark fur.

            Redbriar huffed with satisfaction. “It’s from all the running she does. She’ll be the biggest, most beautiful cat in TideClan!”

            At her belly, Pinekit and Dawnkit were pawing at each other lazily while Birdkit nursed. A loud yawn made the three of them jump in alarm, and Redbriar turned to glare at Spikeclaw as the black she-cat blinked sleepily. “Shut _up,_ for StarClan’s sake! You’re louder than a badger with a thorn in its ass!”

            “Redbriar!” Eagleheart hissed.

            “Yeesh, somebody’s cranky today,” Spikeclaw snorted.

            “I’m about to get even more cranky if you keep my kits awake!”

            “They’re probably awake because their mother is shrieking like a demon.”

            Redbriar’s muscles bunched, as if she was readying herself to attack, but Eagleheart put himself between her and Spikeclaw before she could.

            “Stop. You’re going to hurt your kits or hers,” he insisted, more than a little scared.

            He ended up scrambling away as she spat in his face. The torbie kept her lips peeled as he stared at her in shock, white fangs glinting in the shadows. Slowly, he backed away, feeling sick to his stomach before turning and leaving the nursery. He caught a glimpse of his nieces and nephews staring after him as he left.

            Slightly dazed, he wandered out of the cave and headed up the cliff trail. Out of it as he was, he didn’t hear a familiar voice calling after him until he was already in the shadows of the pine forest.

            “Eagleheart! Eagleheart!”

            He jumped at the sound of his voice and turned to look. It was Bluemoon, bounding up to him in long, graceful leaps. The tightness in his chest eased as he gazed down at the smaller tom, but not without the nervous fluttering sensation that came with it whenever he so much as saw Bluemoon.

            “What, your hearing going already?” the medicine cat snorted, shoving against his shoulder. “I’ll have to get Thistlefeather to show you how to be a successful deaf cat.”

            “I…I’m fine,” Eagleheart managed to say. He looked down at Bluemoon and draped his tail over that narrow back before remembering they were still near the camp. A quick glance around revealed that they were alone besides Eggfur and Thunderstep with Doepaw and Thornpaw down on the beach. Doepaw was boxing with her sister, who took great delight in simply sitting down on the smaller molly. Eagleheart heard Doepaw’s indignant squeal from all the way up the cliff.

            When he looked back at Bluemoon, the medicine cat wasn’t looking very convinced. “Want to talk about it?”

            “Um… maybe later.” He looked back down the cliff as he remembered something rather important. “Who’s watching Otterscratch?”

            “Fireflower. I ran out of catnip and poppy seeds,” Bluemoon explained. If he was bothered by Eagleheart not telling him what his problem was, he didn’t show it. In an unspoken agreement, both toms slipped into the brush, tails entwined, and flanks pressed together.

            Dusty sunlight filtered down through the trees as they walked, strained by the clouds covering the sky like kitten fluff and the thick foliage of the trees, but still enough to light up everything in the gentlest glow. A cool breeze whispered over them, saturated with the rich scent of all things that grew by the shore. The stress began to fade out of Eagleheart’s mind.

            “You knew about Otterscratch, I presume? That’s why you two were gone for so long during the females’ first heat cycle,” said Bluemoon, tilting his head.

            The dark tabby jumped, stomach lurching in alarm. “H-How did you find out? You’re not going to tell anyone, are you? Because if you do, I’ll-“

            “Patient confidentiality, my dear Eagleheart. I’m a healer. I don’t run around blathering about my clients’ medical information.” Bluemoon gave him a cynical look. “And I’ve known for quite some time about our grouchy friend there; it’s kind of hard not to when you’ve had the training I’ve had and catch a cat doing everything in his power to disguise his own scent.”

            “Oh. Okay.” He blinked.

            “That and Fireflower would string my intestines along the treetops if she so much as thought I would put one toe out of line.”

            “Ha!”

            Bluemoon knocked his head against Eagleheart’s shoulder. “I won’t say anything about it until he does, don’t worry. I’m not— oh hey, catnip!”

            The healer darted ahead and dove into a tangle of brush. A brown tail stuck out of it as Bluemoon rummaged around, making the leaves rustle loudly, before coming back up with a mouthful of small green leaves. Eagleheart didn’t know how in StarClan Bluemoon knew that this was the plant he had been looking for; they all looked the same to him.

            “How do you know what one’s catnip?” he asked curiously.

            “See how the edges are kind of jagged, but still soft? You don’t see a lot of other leaves like that. And the best part is… Eh, it’s better to see for yourself. Come take a sniff.”

            Eagleheart trotted over and nosed the small pile the small tom had set at his feet. At first nothing happened, other than him noting catnip smelled _really_ good, and then his paws felt like they were beginning to leave the ground.

            “Whoa!” He wobbled back with a giggle. “Wow.”

            “Just don’t eat it unless you have the rest of the afternoon to waste,” Bluemoon snorted. “Stormstar tried it once, and I swear to StarClan I had to follow her around _forever_ to make sure she didn’t fall off the cliff!”

            Eagleheart laughed at that. “You want me to carry some for you?”

            “Nah, you’ll be high as a cloud by the time we get back to camp. I got this.” With that, Bluemoon scooped up the catnip and took the lead back to the cliffs.

            In hindsight, it was definitely a good thing that Eagleheart hadn’t been holding any catnip, or he might have not caught the scent of a rogue lingering faintly on a nearby fern.

            Bluemoon stiffened fearfully just a few heartbeats after Eagleheart had noticed the scent. “Stay here, I’ll send a patrol!”

            “O-Oh, okay! Hurry!”

            Quicker than a songbird, the healer took off into the forest. Eagleheart wished speed upon Bluemoon’s swift form, silently begging the stronger winds that came from the west to relent and let him get to camp sooner.

            It took several moments, and by the time he heard cats crashing through the brush he was just about ready to explode. The moment he spotted the flash of Eggfur’s white pelt he took off at top speed. The long-legged molly quickly caught up to him to take the lead. Already she seemed to know what she was doing with the trail, so Eagleheart gladly fell back a little to give her space. Behind them, Flameflash, Falconflight, Acornfall, Dustypool, and Brightclaw ran silently, ears flattened against their heads and bushy tails streaming out behind him. None of them spoke as they continued to follow Eggfur.

            They were all panting by the time they reached the edge of clan territory. Eggfur raised her tail, the signal to stop, and everyone gladly obeyed. While she carefully stepped over the border into no-cat’s land the rest of them caught their breath as quietly as they could.

            Eggfur apparently deemed the trail safe for further investigation and gestured for the rest of the patrol to follow. Moving at a swift trot, Eagleheart fell into line right behind the white molly and excitedly began to pick up speed.

            Unfortunately, this turned out to be a mistake. Eggfur came to a sudden halt, and Eagleheart just about bowled her over in his enthusiasm.

            Eggfur grunted in surprise and whipped around to glare at him.

            _Sorry,_ he mouthed, and scooted backwards to give her room.

            She beckoned for somebody else to come over, and Boulderfoot slipped out of the ferns to stand beside her. The two senior warriors crept forward into the brush.

            It was barely a few heartbeats before a vicious snarl made Eagleheart nearly jump out of his fur. He surged forward, Dustypool right beside him, and broke through the bracken that Boulderfoot and Eggfur had stalked into.

            What he found in the clearing was something he never would have thought possible, even with all that had happened in the past several moons.

            _Every_ single one of Thicket’s rogues, or at least what looked like every single rogue, was crowded into a mossy glen. Cats of all shapes and sizes littered the ground, the trees, or peered out at the intruding party through the bushes.

            And speaking of Thicket…

            The lean gray tom was draped over a moss-covered log, eyes half-lidded like he had just woken up from an excellent nap. Beside him, his night-black mate lounged regally, as if she was already the empress of the entire coast. He betrayed no alarm at the sight of the TideClan warriors in his makeshift camp. Even when Eggfur and Boulderfoot strode forward with raised hackles, he simply slipped off his spot on the log and sat up to greet them.

            “Not the best evening to be out, clan cats. Looks like a storm’s about to hit,” Thicket said, glancing up to the prematurely-dark sky.

            “Not a great place to make camp in, rogue. There’s hardly any cover,” Boulderfoot responded smoothly.

            “You TideClan cats are so spoiled. Where we’re from, we can make do with as little as a clump of grass.” Thicket rasped his tongue over his paw pads a few times. His impassive expression gave away nothing. “A little bird told me you’ve been made… what’s it called again? The _deputy?_ I suppose I must congratulate you. A win for us aged cats everywhere.”

            “Yes, although the circumstances leading up to my promotion were less than desirable. Then again, you would know about that.”

            Eagleheart had to give Boulderfoot credit; he didn’t even flinch at the gray tom’s subtle reference to his spy in TideClan, whoever it was.

            Thicket flicked an ear. “Yes, well. If it makes you feel better, that old queen of yours took one of ours along with her. On to business?”

            Eggfur snorted. “Whatever negotiations you have to offer after you have killed so many of our cats hold no appeal for us.”

            “Hold on. I want to hear what he has to say,” Boulderfoot told her. He approached the gang leader with tensed shoulders and narrowed eyes. “Stormstar will be here soon, and we can make a final decision then.”

            “You still let that _kitten_ tell you what to do? Isn’t this her what, her second spring? You all must be joking,” Thicket scoffed.

            The TideClan warriors shuffled back a little. Deep in Eagleheart’s gut, an icy sensation began to prickle its way out into his skin and fur.

            “That bad, huh? While she ain’t here, I’ll go ahead and make you clan cats an offer.”

            Every colony cat leaned in at that, looking down at the warriors with interest. A few of them snickered. Eagleheart wondered if some kind of bet was going on.

            Boulderfoot glared at Thicket. “What kind of-“

            “Come join my colony for a few moons. We team up, get rid of your kit-leader, form a new clan on the coast, and then you lot can go back to your swimming and fishing and whatever else you crazy fish-bastards do,” Thicket announced.

            “Might I remind you that you want to kill us all,” Boulderfoot growled.

            “That can wait. War’s a little cleaner when both sides are unified in their goals.”

            Eagleheart’s stomach dropped when he saw Eggfur’s thoughtful look. Behind her, Falconflight also seemed to be considering Thicket’s offer.

            “Eggfur, no,” he hissed.

            The white she-cat said nothing.

            But it was Falconflight who first shoved his way through the line of warriors. He stalked past Boulderfoot and Eggfur and marched up to Thicket.

            “I’m ready to welcome a new clan to the coast. I accept your offer.”

            “Falconflight _, don’t!_ He’ll kill us all once he gets the chance!” Eagleheart shouted.

            The older tabby turned to look at him with weary eyes. “If it means helping TideClan get the leader it deserves and finding these cats a home, then it’ll be _fine,_ Eagleheart. Come join us. We can all figure something out.”

            “Listen to your superior, boy. Let’s work together,” Thicket urged.

            But Eagleheart could see the dark glint in those green eyes. Perhaps the gang leader would stay true to the part about getting rid of Stormstar and settling his cats into the forest, but promising a fair fight after?

            _I want to believe that Thicket can become the leader these colony cats need. But in the end, I know the only thing that’ll ever really satisfy him is destroying TideClan in the name of his ancestors. He’s set himself on that path and he’s in too deep to want to go back now._

            “I see your greed and your dishonesty has corrupted you completely, and I can only hope that one day you’ll understand that happiness never comes from the pain of others,” Eagleheart told Thicket.

            Thicket’s ears flattened, and he turned away with a snort to look at the other TideClan cats. “In my colony, we don’t have time for this kind of soft-heartedness! The strong fight for the ones who are unable to, but we don’t coddle them in favor of forsaking glory! Whoever wants to join me will be welcomed with open paws.”

            One by one, until only Boulderfoot and Eagleheart remained, the rest of the patrol circled around to stand by the colony cats. Eagleheart could only stare in disbelief as he met Dustypool’s blue eyes as she followed Flameflash. She just blinked miserably at him, tail dragging in the pine needles, until she came to stand beside Falconflight.

            “You lot made the right choice today,” Thicket told the defectors. “Together, we will forge a new destiny for the coast. Come! We must seek out a new camp for the time being if we wish to remain free from harassment from TideClan rabble.”

            He leapt over the log he had been resting on and vanished into the darkening night. In quick flashes of shadow his colony and the TideClan defectors followed him, and Eagleheart stared after them, feeling so helpless that his paws seemed to be rooted in place.

            _Come back!_ he wanted to cry, like a kitten abandoned by its mother, but even his voice failed him as the last noises of fleeing cats disappeared into the forest. He blinked several times as he tried and failed to drive away his overwhelming anxiety.

            Eagleheart turned in surprise as Boulderfoot sat down heavily. The senior warrior said nothing, only staring blankly at his paws like they would provide all the answers to this impossible situation.

            The tabby’s mind raced, desperately trying to think of something comforting to offer to his old mentor, but before he could find the right words the ferns rustled behind them.

            He was on his feet within a heartbeat, claws unsheathed, but it was not a colony cat that came into the clearing- it was Stormstar.

            The clan leader was panting heavily, like she had run across the entire forest (she most likely had, Eagleheart realized; she had been on evening patrol) and nodded in greeting to the two toms before she saw that they were completely alone.

            “Where,” she paused to suck in a deep breath, thumping her broad chest to get the air going. “Where is everybody? Did Thicket get chased off? Can’t believe I missed it!”

            Eagleheart’s mouth moved, but no words came forth.

            Stormstar raised a brow, confusion evident on her face, before Boulderfoot turned to speak. He did not look to her, instead still staring straight down.

            “They’re gone.”

            “What?”

            Boulderfoot blinked several times in quick succession. He didn’t say anything for a long moment, but at last he slowly turned to look at the clan leader, his face perfectly void of any emotion. “They’re gone. They left with Thicket.”

            Several heartbeats passed before what the senior warrior said registered with Stormstar. Her mouth parted slightly as the air left her lungs. One of her legs quivered, and Eagleheart barely had enough time to dart over to her before she collapsed.

            He went with her to the ground, and even though he hardly had the strength to support himself he propped himself up so that he could let Stormstar lean on him. The molly’s breaths came short and rapid, and Eagleheart realized that she was having an anxiety attack.

            “Stormstar, breathe with me,” he ordered. He pawed at her huge shoulder, and when she turned to look at him with wide golden eyes he motioned for her to inhale. Stormstar obeyed even as she trembled like a kit after a terror-dream. She had the wild look of a cat who had lost everything, and with a sharp pang of grief, Eagleheart knew she very well could about to be.

            “I-I… I’ll figure something out,” she finally managed. Slowly, the black-and-silver warrior pushed to her feet. “Maybe I can talk with Thicket, we can make a deal-“

            “A deal between TideClan and the colony cats has already been made.”

            Boulderfoot looked down at the two young cats for a short moment before he spoke again. “The warriors that went with Thicket agreed to help him establish his cats as a new clan in the forest… or rather, a returning one. They intend to remove you from power once they do so and put a new leader in place.”

            Stormstar swallowed. “But Thicket, he-“

            “I don’t care about Thicket anymore. What I care about is TideClan. We are falling apart, Stormstar, and you are doing _nothing_ to keep us together!” Boulderfoot hissed. “You talk about an attack on the colony and then continue on like everything’s perfectly fine in our lives. We lose more warriors than most of us can count to, including your _mother,_ and yet nothing happens. Otterscratch is beaten nearly to death and you tell us to what? To _keep an eye out_ for the rogues?”

            “There is still a chance for peace!” Stormstar whispered hoarsely, staring up at Boulderfoot with her eyes full of sorrow. Eagleheart’s ears flattened in horror at Boulderfoot’s rage towards the clan leader.

            If the deputy felt any pity, he hid it well. “If peace came as naturally to the world as you seem to think it does then we would have achieved it by now. Perhaps you think we are invincible as StarClan themselves, but we are not. I am _done,_ Stormstar. I have been more than patient with you as you tried to lead our clan. I gave my all to support you when you decided to choose passiveness over defensiveness. You will go home tonight, and you will choose a new deputy to pick up after the mess you’ve made. May StarClan spare you from whatever awful fate you’ve chosen for yourself.”

           “Boulderfoot, don’t,” Eagleheart begged as the black-and-white tom rose to his feet and began to walk away from them. “We need you. _TideClan_ needs you as its deputy!”

           But Boulderfoot just shook his broad head. “I am not fit for deputyship any more than a fish is fit to breath in open air. I see that now. If your leader has any sense left in her, she will pick somebody this time to who is.”

           “What about Aukletflight and your grandchildren? What about Lightningpaw?”

           He stopped and turned to look at Eagleheart, a world of sadness and exhaustion in those old yellow eyes. At first Eagleheart hoped he would say something, anything, but then his old mentor turned and fled into the night.


	35. Chapter 35

            It started to rain as soon as Eagleheart and Stormstar made it to the cliffs.

            The drizzle started out gentle at first, even as the waves below crashed into rock and shore like they were trying to break open the entire coast. Then the wind picked up, the sky let loose sheets of stinging rain that whipped against Eagleheart’s thick pelt like hail, and by the time everybody was settled into the cave to wait out the squall they could no longer see the horizon for all the rain and lightning.

            He thought Stormstar would call a meeting to explain what had happened, but the molly just stumbled past the crowd of confused cats and headed up to her den, ignoring the questions they called her way. Even Rosepetal, who was quite infatuated with Stormstar, couldn’t hold her attention. From the elders’ den, Blossompelt peered after her with what almost looked like concern lacing her sharp features.

            Once Stormstar had completely vanished from view the mutterings ceased. Warriors and apprentices alike stared at each other in worry before turning to the mouth of the cave.

            With a jolt, Eagleheart realized they were all looking at _him._

            He swallowed nervously. What should he say? What _could_ he say? He wasn’t the clan leader; he had no right to address all of them like this!

            Before he could panic, Bluemoon slipped out from between Lightningpaw and Fireflower to come and sit beside him. Bluemoon presence immediately helped him feel better, even as his heart flipped from being so close to the healer.

            Finally, Eagleheart took a calming breath. “Cats of TideClan, as you know, a patrol was dispatched just a while ago to meet Thicket outside of clan territory. While there were no fights, every warrior besides me and Boulderfoot left to join his colony.”

            The outrage was immediate. Lightningpaw cursed Acornfall’s name hard enough to summon a demon. The elder Blossompelt’s hackles went straight up. The senior warriors that hadn’t been on the patrol shouted angrily at Eagleheart, demanding to know what else had happened during the meeting. When the noise became nearly deafening, Bluemoon had to yowl for order when the crowd started arguing amongst itself.

            “Thicket made an offer-“ Eagleheart raised his tail for silence and waited until every cat was paying attention to him again. “Thicket made an offer for them to join him as long as they helped him settle his colony into the forest as a proper clan. In exchange, he told them that he would aid in overthrowing Stormstar.”

            Oceansong blinked in surprise. Other than Blossompelt murmuring something to a wide-eyed Aukletflight, there was no sound.

            “… I know that many in this clan do not approve of Stormstar’s leadership,” Eagleheart said quietly. “Whether it be for not taking care of this situation sooner, or losing so many cats during the previous battle, or even for taking charge of this clan while she was barely a warrior, most of you have your reasons. I’m not saying that they’re good reasons or bad reasons. What I _am_ saying is that none of that will matter if Thicket and his rogues wipe us all out! He plans to do that starting with Stormstar, for what is a clan without its leader? Now more than ever, we must stand beside her if we wish to save our home, our clan, our _family.”_

            Eagleheart looked around at his clan, meeting each one of their gazes. “You are all probably wondering where Boulderfoot is if he did not join Thicket. As much as it hurts me to say it, he left TideClan, most likely forever. Where to, I know not. But we _cannot_ afford to follow his example. If you believe that TideClan is a cause worth fighting for, stay with me. It matters not if you came here as a housecat or a stray. Nobody cares if your bloodline runs back to the early days of our society. It’s not even important if you believe in StarClan or not! We fought and died for the right to be the cats of the sea, and I intend to honor every last bit of that even if it means giving my own life!”

            Shouts of affirmation came from the crowd. Spikeclaw screeched her support from the back, her kits staring up at Eagleheart with wide eyes. Beside her, Aukletflight did the same, with her own litter cheering her on. Oceansong whooped, and slowly a chant began to build.

            _“TideClan! TideClan! TideClan!”_

            “TideClan!” Eagleheart yowled.

            Just as the excitement began to develop into a thundering roar, Eagleheart motioned for them to settle down. They obeyed.

            “But before we continue this war, we must remember that we are not the only ones who can rightfully call the coast our own. Long ago, when Tidestar drove out Talon’s group, they came and settled into the twoleg colony as house cats and rogues. Not too long ago I went their myself to find out if those same cats could be the direct ancestors of Thicket’s colony- and they are,” Eagleheart said carefully.

            There was some uncomfortable shuffling amongst the cats gathered in front of him. Blossompelt didn’t meet his eyes. He could tell most of them were more than a little shocked at his reveal.

            “Why does it matter now? They killed a lot of us!” Thornpaw yelled from the back.

            “It matters because we have the opportunity to fix what our predecessors broke: the existence and balance of two clans. Thicket doesn’t see that. He thinks that the only way for his colony to live here is to wipe out or at least take control of TideClan, and his cats obey his every word because they know what he’ll do to them if they don’t. He and his closest supporters are the problem. I strongly believe that the rest of his gang is _not,”_ Eagleheart stated.

            “That’s what I told y’all! But did you bastards believe me?” Spikeclaw shrieked.

            “Yeah, yeah,” Stone-eye growled.

            Eagleheart could tell the rest of the clan was a little wary of what he said, so he took another breath and continued. “That doesn’t mean we should just roll over and let them do whatever they want. But I strongly encourage you all to reconsider what it means to be a member of TideClan, and what StarClan and the warrior code would want us to do about a group of cats that just want to come home.”

            He dipped his head and slunk away to the medicine den.

            He could feel Bluemoon’s footsteps behind him as he collapsed in a heap next to Otterscratch’s nest. The short tabby was twitching in his sleep, but he made no noise as he dreamed. Save for the herbs on his neck and his skinnier midsection, he looked almost back to normal. Eagleheart knew then that he would live.

            “Eagleheart, that was _incredible,”_ Bluemoon said softly.

            He looked up at the smaller tom, his heart flipping in his chest. “Really? Did I sound okay? Stormstar’s not gonna be mad at me for calling a clan meeting like that, right?”

            “She better not be,” Bluemoon snorted as he curled up next to Eagleheart. “And you said all the right things, as usual.”

            “I just hope we can fix everything,” Eagleheart mumbled, all too aware of the exhaustion creeping up his paws.

            “We will,” the healer promised.

            Feeling just a bit better after all that had just happened, Eagleheart let himself go to sleep, the gentle sounds of Bluemoon tending to Otterscratch in his ears.

<> 

            He already knew who would be waiting for him once we went to sleep, but that still didn’t make the experience any less unnerving.

            Nightstar was pacing back and forth along the shore, the starry water lapping around his paws and dripping from his tail. Pale green eyes stared straight ahead, nearly as blinding as the stars themselves. Eagleheart watched him without saying a word.

            He expected the first words to come from the former leader’s mouth to be about Stormstar, but all he said was, “Look not to your own kin.”

            “What?”

            “That’s what Petrelswoop meant to tell you the night he died. The prophecy is not about you and Redbriar.”

            Eagleheart blinked, stunned. “How do you know?”

            “Because he told me, moron! Believe it or not, he’s not spending his afterlife dicking around and being useless.” Nightstar paused in his tracks and met Eagleheart’s stare. “I know what you’re thinking. If that prophecy isn’t about you and Redbriar, who could it possibly be?”

            “Shadowstep and Spikeclaw,” Eagleheart realized.

            “Exactly. Through his love for Aukletflight, Shadowstep brought his children into the world, who will one day change the entire forest _._ Spikeclaw, on the other paw, might _act_ like a crazy bitch, but she’s much smarter than she lets on. I can’t tell you everything, but her destiny is not that of a warrior.”

            “Not that of a…”

            “Shut up. What you need to focus on right now is what your sister is up to. You need to stop her while you still have the chance!” Nightstar hissed.

            “Is she in trouble? The other prophecy, the one with the eagle feather-“ the tabby asked in horror.

            “Don’t worry about her, moron! It’s your nieces and nephews who are in danger!” Nightstar snapped, shoving Eagleheart into the shallow water. “Your time has come, boy. Deliver my daughter to her destiny and save your family. Now, _wake up!”_

<> 

            He woke up, but not because Nightstar told him to.

            The first thing he registered was the dark green eyes of Otterscratch. The second thing was the acute scent of fear radiating off the tabby like body heat.

            “You’re awake!” Eagleheart gasped as he scrambled to his feet. 

            “Yeah, no shit! I’ve been awake for like, four days now!” Otterscratch snarled.

            “What? Last time I saw you-“

            “I know, I know! It’s a long story. We need to stop Redbriar.”

            Otterscratch poked his head out of the medicine den before motioning for Eagleheart to follow him. Dazed, the bigger tom obeyed.

            It was the middle of the day, and everybody was still sleeping, which made for an easy escape. But Otterscratch wasn’t satisfied with just making good time up into the forest- he took off in a dead sprint the moment they were out of sight of the edge of the cliff.

            “Otterscratch, what’s going on? Where’s Redbriar?” he demanded.

            _“Redbriar,”_ Otterscratch snarled, like he was using a curse word. “Redbriar played us all for fools! She was the spy for Thicket this _entire time._ That heinous queen wants nothing more than to take over TideClan for herself and rule the entire coast!”

            Eagleheart stumbled and skidded to a stop.

            “Why the hell did you stop? We have to find her!” Otterscratch hissed.

            “How could you _say_ something like that? Redbriar would never do anything like that!” Eagleheart cried. “She’s my sister!”

            “That’s what she _wants_ you to think, Eagleheart! She’s told you that all she wants is the perfect life for her family, and she won’t be satisfied until she’s made that happen, no matter what she must do and who she must work with. What she wants is _control,_ over you, over my brother, over her sons and daughters and every cat on the coast!” Otterscratch insisted. His eyes were wide with fear and rage.

            _“Who told you all of that?!”_

            _“She_ did! Right before she nearly _killed_ me!”

            Everything seemed to grind to a halt.

            “I’ve been perfectly fine for five days. Your sister came in regularly during those times to force me to eat poppy seeds so I’d keep sleeping. I guess it was all under the guise of me being her mate’s brother, so nobody would get suspicious over why she visited so often. Why do you think Bluemoon ran out so fast?”

            Eagleheart’s legs felt weak. “Y-You must have dreamt that, Otterscratch. If she wanted to keep you quiet, why wouldn’t she just…”

            He couldn’t bring himself to finish that sentence.

            “Bluemoon knows how to identify a murder, Eagleheart. She would have had to break open the scabs on my neck wound to finish the job. That, and she would have left her scent on me doing so,” Otterscratch said, just like he was stating that the sky is blue. He seemed to have reigned his temper in, but it was obvious he was itching to get going.

            Nightstar’s words came back to him from his dream. _“Don’t worry about her, moron! It’s your nieces and nephews who are in danger!”_

            “The kits,” he muttered, staggering forward.

            Otterscratch was apparently done waiting for him and took off in a dark blur. Despite tripping over his own paws, Eagleheart followed, his breath coming in short gasps as his entire world collapsed around him.

            _This can’t be happening. I’m going to wake up, and everything’s going to be fine. Redbriar and the kits will be in the nursery, and everybody will be friendly to Stormstar again, and I’ll stop feeling like I must vomit all the time._

            They slowed down before they crossed the border. Both toms were terribly out of breath, especially Otterscratch, who was still recovering from his near-fatal wound. As if the sky sensed their anger and fear more storm clouds began to roll in from the west, like the awful rain they had just last night hadn’t been enough.

            “The rain will cover our tracks when we get close to the camp,” Otterscratch huffed.

            “How do you know where the camp is?”

            “I found it before… you know. It was a backup camp in case the other one got discovered, which it did, thanks to you,” the black tabby told him.

            “Bluemoon helped,” Eagleheart added.

            “You still found the trail, though. Come on.”

            They headed into no-cat’s land, this time moving at a swift trot instead of a run as they were in unfamiliar and hostile territory. Eagleheart had no idea where the rogues had set their borders, or if they even had any, but he wasn’t going to take the chance by crashing through everything on the way to their camp.

            The hair on Otterscratch’s back rose higher and higher as they kept moving, until the shorter tom looked like a spiky ball of fear. His eyes were wide and kept darting all over the place as he searched for any signs of attackers. Eagleheart immediately knew why, and it made him feel even sicker than before.

            “You don’t have to do this. I can handle her,” he whispered to Otterscratch.

            “That’s a dirty lie and you know it. I’m not leaving you to deal with her alone.”

            “She physically and emotionally scarred you for life!”

            “And she lied to you and treated you like shit. Get in line, chubby.”

            Eagleheart didn’t have a response to that.

            It was only a few more moments before they both picked up on the sound of voices, and they immediately stopped in their tracks and crouched low to the ground. Leading the way, Eagleheart stalked forward, feeling like his thundering heartbeat would be loud enough for the rogues to hear. The scents of cats hit his nose, unfamiliar in the way that the twoleg colony always was. He opened his mouth to taste the air better, dreading that he might find Redbriar’s smell amongst them, but was relieved to find no trace of her.

            “She’s not here,” he whispered to Otterscratch.

            “No, but the kits are.”

            “How do you know?”

            Right on cue, a high-pitched mew made Eagleheart jolt. Looking around wildly, he pinpointed the sound and crawled towards it as quickly and quietly as he could, Otterscratch right beside him.

            He didn’t dare cry out for them while they were so close to the camp. Instead, he used his nose to track the dusty-sunlight scent of the kits to a thick knot of a thorn bush.

            Another squeak made him nose eagerly around the outside of the den, desperate to find the entrance, but Otterscratch shoved himself in between Eagleheart and the thorn bush before he could.

            “There’s more than just Redbriar’s kits in there, and they’re not like clan kits. They’ll panic and make fear-scent if they smell an unfamiliar tom,” the shorter tabby hissed.

            “How are we going to get them out?” Eagleheart asked fearfully.

            “I’ll get them. I smell more like a molly than you do.”

            With that, Otterscratch backed up and slithered through a short curtain of leaves Eagleheart realized must be the entrance. At first, he wondered how Otterscratch knew where it was, and then he saw the faint sets of pawprints leading up to it, no doubt from the queens of Thicket’s rogue colony. He had been panicking too much to notice them.

            _Thank StarClan for Otterscratch,_ Eagleheart thought gratefully.

            A happy squeal made him jump. Spottedkit came bursting out of the leaves, hopping around like a cricket before she saw him. Dawnkit and Pinekit scrambled after her, kitten fluff poofed everywhere in excitement. Otterscratch emerged with Birdkit hanging from his jaws and mewling pitifully.

            “Uncle Eagleheart!” she cried joyously before diving into his chest.

            Eagleheart quickly crouched down to greet her with lots of kisses. “Hello, sweet! Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

            “We’re all fine, but Mama’s been gone _forever,”_ Spottedkit whined. “She went off with that big gray tomcat and his mate and a bunch of other cats and we haven’t seen her since!”

            “Do you know where they went? Uncle Eagleheart needs to have a talk with your Mama,” Eagleheart explained gently.

            “Some of the other cats were talking about the TideClan camp, I think,” the tiny tortoiseshell reported. Behind her, Dawnkit nodded sagely.

            Eagleheart felt like the ground got knocked out from underneath his paws. “Oh, _no.”_

           


	36. Chapter 36

            Moving quickly with four kits at a time was not easy.

            Birdkit kept crying for his mother. Dawnkit and Spottedkit were hungry. Pinekit wanted to ride on Eagleheart’s back, and then he wanted to walk by himself, and then he needed somebody to carry him again, and then he wanted to walk, and so on and so forth.

            “I wanna eat! I wanna eaaattt! I wanna eat!” Dawnkit chanted as she yanked on Otterscratch’s scruff, making the tom growl in annoyance.

            “You can’t eat until we get back to camp, you’re still getting milk from your mother. So, do us all a favor and shut up, please,” Otterscratch grunted as he leapt over a small log.

            “Where’s Mama?” Birdkit wailed from Eagleheart’s back. “I want my Mama!”

            “Uncle Eagleheart is my favorite uncle! Because you’re grouchy!” Pinekit yelled at Otterscratch.

            “I’ve been told.”

            “Why are you grouchy?”

            “Because your sister is going to leave me bald by the time we get back to the cliff!” Otterscratch hissed.

            “Can we please not argue?” Eagleheart begged. “Dawnkit, please quit biting Otterscratch. Pinekit, stop yelling before you bring all of the rogues here!”

            Pinekit thankfully snapped his mouth shut. “Fiiinnnee.”

            “Thank you, Pinekit.”

            “Yeah, Pinekit! Stop yelling!” Spottedkit goaded.

            Unfortunately, he had been too late to silence the rambunctious group. An enraged yowl echoed from not too far behind them and Otterscratch snarled.

            Ignoring Pinekit’s indignant squeal, the big tabby grabbed his nephew and started running like his life depended on it. Birdkit, surprisingly, stopped crying and dug his tiny claws into Eagleheart’s thick fur, and Spottedkit quickly followed his example. Otterscratch, who was faster than Eagleheart and more agile, took the lead as the two toms raced in the direction of camp.

            The caterwauling behind them grew louder no matter how fast they ran, and Eagleheart braced himself to set the kittens down and fight until he could fight no more.

            _Bluemoon, I’m sorry!_

            “Don’t even think about it!” Otterscratch snapped from ahead, as if he could sense Eagleheart’s thoughts. “Those bastards aren’t getting their dirty paws on our nieces and nephews ever again!”

            Otterscratch’s words filled Eagleheart with new resolve. With strength he didn’t knew he had, he pushed himself into a dead sprint and began to catch up to the shorter tom. His chest burned like fire. His jaws ached from Pinekit’s weight. Still, he refused to so much as slow down; the rogues were near enough for them to hear them crashing through the forest.

            The salty odor of the ocean became stronger, and the light filtering in through the trees ahead of them grew brighter. Just as Eagleheart thought his legs might give out, they burst out from the forest, slowing down just a bit to turn on to the trail that led down to the cave.

            And had to skid to the stop as the sounds of fighting cats reached their ears.

            _No!_

            “Otterscratch! Get the kits to somewhere safe. I’m going to find Redbriar,” Eagleheart told him between gulps of air.

            “Too late,” Otterscratch growled. Eagleheart turned to see the party of rogues that had been following them. One of them was either Thicket’s mate or her sister.

            The black she-cat strode towards them, pale eyes unnervingly emotionless. “Return those kits immediately.”

            “Kiss my ass,” Otterscratch snapped. “These are _our_ nieces and nephews!”

            “The queen Redbriar entrusted them to our care,” the rogue told him.

            “Redbriar can kiss my ass, too!”

            Eagleheart sat Pinekit down. “I don’t know why my sister brought them to you, but these are TideClan kits. Is she… is she with you?”

            “No, she’s down there.” She nodded down towards the cave entrance.

            Hope made his heart soar. His beloved sister was loyal to TideClan after all! Grabbing Dawnkit and Pinekit again, he charged down the rocky path to camp, not listening to Otterscratch’s shouts for him to stop.

            The cliffside was a mess of battling cats. He spotted Oceansong taking on three vicious rogues, kicking one right off the cliff and into the churning sea below. Fireflower’s roar sounded from inside the cave, no doubt defending the nursery, where Aukletflight, Spikeclaw, and Snowsky were most likely sheltering in. Lightningpaw and Thornpaw were walloping a molly twice as tall as they were. Shadowstep wrenched a tom off Softstep, whose bad leg was bleeding profusely, and proceeded to slice his assailant’s face open.

            Redbriar had to be protecting the nursery with Fireflower, he reasoned, but he couldn’t charge into the fight with the kits.

            So he did the only thing that came to his head next: he jumped up on the speaking rock, his nieces and nephews scrambling after him, threw back his head, and yowled loud enough to make his own ears ring.

            When he finally looked back down, he was greeted with the sight of many, many cats staring up at him in shock. The entire camp fell silent.

            It was Softstep who spoke first. “Eagleheart! My kits! Where have you all been?”

            “Hi, Papa!” Spottedkit yelled happily.

            Eagleheart scanned the area. “Softstep, where’s Redbriar? Otterscratch and I had to rescue the kits from the rogue camp! And what’s going on?”

            “They were _where?”_

            “The rogue camp,” a different voice repeated. The cats in front of the cave parted to let a torbie queen through, her pelt and face stained with blood.

            _“Redbriar!”_ Eagleheart leapt down and galloped up to her. “You’re okay! No, you’re not okay, you’re covered in blood, holy StarClan-“

            She held up a paw. “It’s not mine.”

            “Okay, good. Now, can you please tell me why Otterscratch and I had to rescue your kits from the rogue camp?”

            Softstep came to stand beside him, pale eyes brightening with rage. “We’re all dying to know, _sweetheart,_ where the hell you’ve been since early this morning! Just what has gotten into you?”

            Redbriar’s lips curled. “I’m saving our clan and theirs, _dearest._ Don’t get in my way.”

            “Don’t get in your way, huh? Well, since it seems that’s all I’m good for, I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon,” he spat. Eagleheart had never seen the golden tabby so furious. He was practically vibrating with emotion.

            “The children were in good paws. I had to get them out of the camp before the rogues attacked,” Redbriar explained tersely. “I was going to come back for them as soon as this fight was over!”

            Eagleheart felt ice water shoot through his veins. “You… Redbriar, what? You’re talking like you knew this was going to happen.”

            His sister turned to regard him with cool amber eyes. “Of course I did, brother dear. I’m the one who led the assault.”

            His entire world stopped.

            For what felt like an eternity, he could not breathe. Sound did not reach his ears. Even when his eyes tracked her bloody paw-steps into the cave, to the tunnel that led up to Stormstar’s den, he could not move.

            A low caterwaul broke him out of his stupor.

            Almost falling flat on his face, Eagleheart surged towards the source of the sound. He knew that voice. He would have known that voice even if it had come from the other side of the world, and he would have ran to its owner all the same, no matter how long it took. He stumbled up the tunnel, slipping several times in the blood. It was dark, and his breathing was too loud and too fast, and his head felt like it was going to float away from the rest of his body. The stench of death filled the air, filled his lungs as he gasped for breath, encased his entire being.

            In the small cavern, Bluemoon was hunched over the dead body of Stormstar.

            The molly’s throat had been torn clean out, and the once magnificent leader of TideClan was sprawled out on her side in a pool of her own blood. Amber eyes were open and sightless, staring blankly up at Eagleheart. Chunks of black-silver fur littered the den like how the queens lined their nests in the nursery.

            In Stormstar’s still-extended claws were the smallest tufts of russet-gold.

            Eagleheart didn’t know he had stopped breathing until his legs gave out, and he collapsed next to his friend. He stopped trembling. He wasn’t even sure if he could move. A dull roar echoed about in his mind, separating him from the rest of the world until he wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to return to it.

            _Why,_ was the only thought that made its way through his mind. _Why? Why, why, why…_

            His heart felt like it had been run through with a shard of rock, but the dark tabby forced himself up on all fours when he remembered Stormstar’s killer was just outside.

            _Redbriar._

            Eagleheart was all but flying down the tunnel and out of the cave before he could think about anything else. An anguished howl fled his jaws as he hurled himself at his sister. His outstretched claws got a hold on her thick mane, allowing him to get a good grip on her, but Redbriar was quicker than he was. With a grunt, she let herself get bowled over and kicked hard off the rock so that in the end she was pinning the tom down.

            He shrieked and kicked viciously at her stomach, scoring deep scratches through her fur. “Why would you do this? How could you _kill Stormstar?_ You were just as much as a friend to her as I was!”

            A shocked murmur rippled through the clan cats.

            “Stormstar’s _dead?”_ Lightningpaw asked in disbelief.

            Redbriar burst out laughing at that. “She’s not gone forever, you fools! I just took a few of her lives. I’d never fight a cat to death outside of honorable combat.”

            _“Honorable?!_ What part of this is _honorable?”_ Eagleheart screamed. “What could Thicket possibly have over you that could possibly inspire you to do something like this?”

            “Thicket has nothing over me, brother. In fact, he’s become a good friend of mine these last several moons. Him, me, Falconflight, Eggfur… the list goes on and on.” Redbriar shook herself and finally stepped off Eagleheart, who immediately stood on trembling paws.

            He must have been showing his shock, because Redbriar just sighed when she met his eyes again. “I guess I shouldn’t be so disappointed that you never figured me out. After all, who would suspect a strong, loyal warrior like me, much less a queen with kittens? I was the perfect spy. Thicket was elated when I agreed to work with him.”

            “Why?” he asked again, frozen in place.

            “Eagleheart, do you truly not see why?” Redbriar looked genuinely surprised. “I have the power to create the perfect life for all of us! I had a dream as an apprentice that I would become the next leader of TideClan and bring glory to us all. You would be my deputy. My children, the mightiest cats ever to walk this world. These poor, misunderstood rogues, who want nothing more than to come home, would be able to live like real people on the coast with us. I’m but a mother who wants nothing but the best for her family and friends.”

            “And how many lives of your _friends and family_ did you take just to get where you are right now?” Softstep came to stand beside Eagleheart, looking stricken. “How could something as precious as the lives of fellow cats be worth all of this?”

            Redbriar scowled at him. “I admired you for your perseverance not too long ago. You didn’t let anything stop you, Softstep. Now I see that you are cowardly, afraid of anything more than a simple life serving others.”

            “Cowardly I may be, but I would rather be a coward than a killer,” the golden tabby rasped, shaking his head.

            “Oh, she’s a killer, all right,” another voice called. Otterscratch shoved his way to his brother’s side, fangs bared in rage. Redbriar’s eyes widened at the sight of him. “Thanks for the scar on my neck and for drugging me for the past five days, you traitorous pile of coyote shit. I appreciate it, I really do.”

            Softstep slowly lifted his head. “Redbriar… you…”

            “I wish I didn’t have to. But he saw me and Thicket, and I couldn’t let him speak before the time was right,” the torbie growled.

            The cats of TideClan finally erupted into cries of disbelief and anger. Fireflower had to be held back by Aukletflight and Spikeclaw, screaming vengeance for the near-death of her son. The apprentices spat at the queen in disgust. Even Stone-eye, who had never been fond of Stormstar, had his eyes shut tightly with grief, like he was trying to block out everything he had just seen.

            A tiny meow rose above the noise.

            Four little kittens came wobbling through the mess, with rogues and warriors alike stepping aside to let them through. Redbriar’s glare softened immediately at the sight of them, and she crouched down to meet Spottedkit, who had been leading the little group.

            “Is it true, Mama? Did you hurt Stormstar and Uncle Otterscratch real bad?” the tortoiseshell said softly, baby-blue eyes tinted with the weight of a much older cat.

            Redbriar’s ears flattened. “My loves, I did all of this for _you!_ I’m going to make a clan where all of us can be happy and safe.”

            “Come over here, kits,” Softstep told them, reaching out with one paw.

            At that, his mate growled and rose. “These are _my_ children, Softstep. I’ll decide what is best for them.”

            “No! I won’t let you take them from TideClan. This is their home.”

            “Their home is where I say it is!”

            The two warriors faced each other, backs tense and pelts spiked up. A low, eerie rumble rose from Redbriar’s throat as she unsheathed her claws, glaring hatefully at Softstep. The lean tom hissed in response. He shifted, favoring his bad hind leg as it had been injured even more in the fight.

            Between them, the kits huddled together in fear.

            Redbriar’s eyes flicked to Softstep’s leg ever so briefly, a movement so swift and brief Eagleheart nearly missed it. Even so, he didn’t want to believe that his sister would do such a thing as what he thought she might do.

            He regretted ever thinking she wouldn’t.

            Redbriar moved so quickly she was nothing but a blood-colored blur. She slammed into Softstep hindquarters with the force of a falling boulder, knocking both her and the tabby back into the assembly of cats. The crowd parted quickly, not wanting to get in between the brawling warriors. Redbriar and Softstep beat fiercely at each other, screeching and snarling like animals possessed, fur from both pelts drifting down through the ocean-scented breeze.

            “Redbriar, stop!” Eagleheart shouted.

            It lasted for no more than a moment, but in the end, it was obvious who the winner would be. Softstep was tall and light on his three good legs, but Redbriar was strong and very, _very_ angry. With a curse of disgust, she kicked him away and flipped to her paws.

            Softstep landed with a grunt of pain, bleeding from several scratches along his flank. He tried to get up, collapsed as his bad leg failed to hold even a small portion of his weight, tried again, and slumped back to his belly.

            “Pity. Maybe I would have kept you around when I become leader, if not just for the kits,” Redbriar told him as she strode lazily towards him.

            “Mama, no!”

            Then Birdkit was there, eyes wide with horror as he stood in front of his father. His little tail stuck straight up, barely any taller than his arched back, and shuffled forward a few steps. Tiny claws that were as long as the short fur on Eagleheart’s face were extended.

            “Birdkit, get out of the way,” Redbriar ordered, not stopping in her advance. “I know what’s best for us.”

            “No,” Birdkit said.

            “Excuse me?”

            The little tom swallowed, quivering, but spoke up. _“No!”_

            “Move, son! Just move!” Softstep begged, voice tight with pain. Eagleheart moved to help him, but Redbriar swiped at him before he could get to his friend.

            The queen halted just before Birdkit, staring down at him with fury etched in every feature of her beautiful face. “You heard your father. Step aside.”

            “No, Mama,” Birdkit whispered.

            Redbriar snarled so loud it echoed off the cliff. Below, the waves seemed to quiet, as if they sensed her rage as well. “I. Said. _Move!”_

            She brought one paw up, claws glinting in the afternoon sun, and brought it down so fast Eagleheart didn’t even register what had happened until it was too late.

            Birdkit tumbled through the air, limp from the shock of the blow, and slammed into the entrance of the cave with a _thud_ that seemed almost deafening. Then, he fell to the rock beneath him in a tiny heap of cream-colored fur.

He did not get up.

            Softstep screamed. Behind Eagleheart, several cats yowled in horror. He stared down at the broken body of his sister’s son with the blood pounding through his head.

            Redbriar took a step back, stiff with shock. “Now look at what you made me do.”

            She turned and fled. The rogues soon followed, one by one, then in pairs, and then as many as the narrow trail up to the forest would fit. Eagleheart could feel the vibrations of their footsteps through the bottom of his paws.

            It might have been a few moments before he could move, it might have been entire season cycles. But once he could, his paws carried him over to Birdkit, where he collapsed and pulled the soft bundle of fur against his chest.

            Eagleheart nosed him gently. “Birdkit, wake up. You’re going to be alright, understand? Let’s get you to Bluemoon.”

            As if just saying the healer’s name had summoned him, two dark brown paws entered his line of sight. They were stained with blood.

            “Hey,” the dark tabby called again. His voice shook uncontrollably. _“Birdkit._ Come on, Bluemoon’s here, see? Open your eyes.”

            “Eagleheart,” Bluemoon said softly. Behind him, Softstep began to sob. Somebody crouched down next to him and started trying to comfort him- Aukletflight?

            “He’s not waking up. Why isn’t he waking up?” Eagleheart asked. The words coming from his mouth sounded like they were coming from very far away. “Birdkit. Birdkit! _Birdkit!”_

            “Eagleheart.” He felt Bluemoon press his forehead against his own. “He’s gone. I’m so sorry, but he’s… he’s with StarClan now. Heaven have mercy, I can’t…”

            He stared down at Birdkit, his eyes closed, and mouth slightly parted as if he was just resting. His claws were sheathed. There was no blood.

            Spottedkit’s familiar squeak registered in his ears. “Why’s Birdkit sleeping? Should we tell everybody to keep it down until he wakes up?”

            “He’s tired from crossing the forest, duh,” Dawnkit explained.

            “He didn’t even walk! _I_ walked,” Pinekit boasted proudly.

            Eagleheart couldn’t tell them, not yet. He wasn’t strong enough. There was nothing left inside of him. There was nothing in the void that had become his soul, except for the knowledge that Birdkit, his littlest, bravest nephew, was dead.

           


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite Eagleheart's grief, he knows he must put aside his misery to serve his clan.

            He buried Birdkit next to Rainfeather.

            For the entire night that followed, Eagleheart stood vigil for his nephew. It wasn’t until the sun came up the next morning that he so much as lifted his eyes from the grave, but still he did not go rejoin the clan. As far as he was concerned, there was no point in doing so. His entire being ached with waves of pain that were more than physical. Even if he wanted to, Eagleheart doubted he could move.

            Finally, Bluemoon came for him when the last of the pinks and yellows faded from the morning sky, laying down with the tabby with his legs tucked underneath his belly. The healer said nothing, but Eagleheart knew it was time.

            “Redbriar was right. I am a fool,” he said at last. His voice was hoarse from disuse. “I was a fool to trust her. All my life, I believed that she knew what was best for us, that I was bound as her brother to trust her every word and action. I thought… I…”

            Bluemoon pressed his head into Eagleheart’s neck. “You’re not a fool, Eagleheart. You just love too much.”

            “Same thing.”

            “No. Stormstar wouldn’t have given you the name you have now if she thought your compassion made you weak, not strong, as it does even now. I think we both realized it the moment you came to TideClan that the strength of eagles lived in your heart.”

            Eagleheart looked down at him. “You really think that?”

            “I _know_ that.”

            The tabby’s whiskers twitched. “Your judgement has never failed us before. I suppose I must believe you.”

            “You better,” Bluemoon told him.

            They sat in silence for a while longer, watching the sun glitter off the ocean waves. The pain throbbing through Eagleheart’s body was still there, dull and agonizing, but it wasn’t all-consuming anymore. He knew he would be able to survive it. He had to, for the sake of his remaining nieces and nephews, and his clan, and Bluemoon.

            The medicine cat seemed to know what he was thinking and bumped his cheek against Eagleheart’s big shoulder. “Since Boulderfoot left TideClan has been without a deputy.”

            “What?” Eagleheart stared down at him in surprise. “I thought a new deputy had to be appointed before the next moon-set!”

            “Stormstar wasn’t in the right state of mind to make a decision like that. I told her to wait and think on it before she did anything, but she did tell me who she wanted,” Bluemoon said quietly.

            “Oceansong, right? I heard from Flameflash a while back that he was going for it,” Eagleheart guessed. It was true, the big blue tom had been eyeing that position for a while, even if he didn’t speak much of it.

            “No. She wants _you_ to be deputy.”

            A wave of shock rippled through Eagleheart’s body. _“What?_ N-no, you must have heard her wrong. I can’t be deputy! I’ve only been a warrior for _seven moons!_ Besides, nobody would approve of it. I’m too young.”

            “On the contrary. You have a lot of support in the clan, Eagleheart. Even Stone-eye likes you,” Bluemoon pointed out. “Stormstar would never choose a cat so young, like what happened to her, if she thought you couldn’t succeed at it.”

            “But she… I… what about Fireflower? She’s smart and strong.”

            “Fireflower would rather you have the position instead. She told me herself.”

            Eagleheart felt dizzy. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

            “Not on my paws. You’ve already barfed on my paws before,” Bluemoon reminded him dryly, scooting just a bit away from the trembling warrior.

            His mind raced, even as he swallowed down bile. Deputy of TideClan? There was just no way. He’d eventually screw up so badly he’d get laughed right off the cliff.

            _Poor, stupid Eagleheart,_ queens would tell their kits for generations to come. _I suppose he went a little mad after his nephew was killed. That’s what happens when you trust so blindly!_

But he wouldn’t deny that a tiny part of him was thrilled that Stormstar chose _him,_ of all cats, to rule by her side. He had already helped hold the clan together. Since the very first day of living as a wild cat, he had given his all to TideClan. He could say that much, at least, and could be proud of it. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for his clan and family.

            If he was deputy, he’d be making plans with Stormstar to take down Thicket. He’d have the power to bring justice upon the rogue tom for all that he had done.

            He’d avenge Birdkit.

            “Will you do it?” Bluemoon asked.

            Eagleheart took a shaky breath, stilling the trembling in his shoulders. “Yes.”

<> 

            Stormstar was resting in the warrior’s den when they came back to camp. Relief at seeing the clan leader alive almost made Eagleheart faint, but he managed to hold it together as he hurried over to her and buried his face in her mane. When he came back up for air, he spotted Bluemoon at the entrance of the den. The healer blinked sweetly at him, the code for _Meet me in the woods tonight._ Eagleheart blinked back in agreement.

            “I’m not going to lie. If I ever must go back to my own den, it’ll be too soon.” She coughed, shaking her head.

            “I don’t blame you,” Eagleheart said weakly. The smoke-colored molly still smelled like blood, even if the brutal wound on her throat had scarred over. It was visible even through her thick ruff, white and shocking against her dark fur.

            Amber eyes blinked knowingly. “I know you want to know how many lives I have left.”

            “Oh, um, I know it’s not any of my business-“

            “If you accepted my offer, I suppose it’s now a _little_ of your business,” Stormstar huffed amusedly. Despite her light tone, Eagleheart knew she was bracing herself for his refusal.

            “I accept,” he said.

            Stormstar’s face lit up, a raspy purr welling up from her throat. “That’s the best damn news I’ve heard in moons. _Thank_ you, Eagleheart. We’ll hold the ceremony as soon as I can walk across the cave without falling over.”

            “StarClan help me,” he whispered, ears flat against his skull in fear.

            “They better.”

            Green eyes flashed out of the corner of his vision, and Eagleheart knew Otterscratch had been straining to listen in on their conversation. He gave the other tom a stern look, but Otterscratch just flicked an ear in his direction and flopped back into his nest.

            “So, your lives…” Eagleheart began, talking as quietly as he possibly could without it looking suspicious to the other warriors.

            “Life,” Stormstar corrected wryly. “Your sister has strong jaws. This is my last chance, Eagleheart, before I go to join StarClan.”

            “Your last-?” he choked. “How many lives did she take?”

            “Three. I used my fifth life in the battle against the rogues last autumn, and I died from the freezing-shakes over the winter because I’m dumb and I tried to go swimming. I’m not great at math, but I do know that I’m in a bit of trouble should the rogues come back anytime soon,” she joked.

            “You’re too young to die,” Eagleheart said sadly.

            “Everybody in this den is, and yet it happens.” Stormstar yawned, exhaustion pouring out of every hair on her body. She rested her head on her paws and exhaled softly. “I’m so sorry about what happened to Birdkit. Bluemoon told me everything.”

            Eagleheart dipped his head in acknowledgement, the grief coming back in full force and threatening to crush him. While it consumed him with guilt, a small part of him also mourned the loss of his sister- or at least, the cat who he thought she was.

            He wanted to talk with Stormstar more, if not to drive out the pain in his heart, but the clan leader was already sound asleep. With a sigh, he turned from her and padded over to his usual spot next to Otterscratch. Eagleheart half-expected for the black tabby to start bugging him about whether he was going to become the new deputy but was pleasantly surprised when Otterscratch just acknowledged him with a soft grunt.

            Instead of curling up in his usual spot nearby, he left the warriors’ den and headed for the nursery.

            Aukletflight and Spikeclaw were all but sharing the same nest, their kits piled in a heap between them. Sunkit, already the biggest of the bunch, seemed completely unbothered by the five other babies laying on top of and all around him. Next to the two younger mothers was Fireflower, curled up tight around Spottedkit, Pinekit, and Dawnkit. A familiar, calming scent was wafting off the ginger queen, filling his head and slowing down his still-erratically thumping heart. He padded quietly over to her and nosed her forehead.

            Green eyes cracked open. Fireflower raised her head and gave a massive yawn, her white fangs glinting in the dim light.

            “Sorry to wake you,” he murmured.

            “It’s no trouble.”

            It was then Snowsky, the former house cat turned warrior, returned to her nest and two-moon old kit. She had given birth some time before the younger queens did, but Eagleheart hadn’t been around when Ivykit and Lilykit were born. While Lilykit sadly died soon after birth, her brother had grown quickly and became quite the pawful.

            When she saw Eagleheart she stiffened in alarm, but then quickly corrected herself and laid down next to Ivykit.

            “Still so nervous, Snowsky?” Fireflower asked wryly.

            “Us _normal_ cats would never let any tom who was not the father near our kits,” Snowsky fired back. “My instincts have served me well until now, and I don’t plan on ignoring them anytime soon.”

            “You’ll get used to it, dear,” Fireflower humored.

            “Whatever you say, wise-ass.”

            Eagleheart’s whiskers twitched in amusement despite himself. “How are they holding up?” He nodded to his nieces and nephews at Fireflower’s belly.

            The ginger queen sobered. “They’re too young to understand, of course, but with their age comes flexibility. They’ll heal just fine.”

            He sighed, his entire body hurting from the grief, and he slumped down next to her. “Thank you, Fireflower. I owe you for this. But I must ask… how are you nursing without any kits of your own? I thought…”

            “You underestimate what a mother will do for children, even those that aren’t her own. If she truly desires to care for a litter in need then her body will take care of the rest,” Fireflower explained, eyes half-lidded with pride.

            “That’s incredible,” he murmured. He focused on the little balls of fluff before him, each of them completely perfect in a way words couldn’t describe. In that moment, he’d knew he would do anything for these kittens- fight a whole pack of coyotes, kill another cat, even lay down his own life.

            “How’s Softstep?” Eagleheart asked. He felt guilty about not remembering to ask about Fireflower’s son earlier. “He… I haven’t seen him.”

            “He’s in the medicine den. Bluemoon’s treating him for shock.” Much to his surprise, Fireflower shook her head in disapproval.

            “Well, of course he’s in shock. Redbriar just admitted she used him, killed his son, and then left to help lead the rogues!” Eagleheart exclaimed.

            “And then refused to come see his _living_ children even after he could walk again. The ones he still has a responsibility to. He hasn’t even looked at them,” Fireflower growled. “That fool boy may be my son, but if this keeps up I’ll have Otterscratch drop-kick him off the cliff.”

            “He’ll come to,” Eagleheart said, a bit dazed. Were _all_ queens so terrifying?

            “He better.”

            They didn’t talk any more after that. As the kits were still sleeping, Fireflower slipped out to take a break and get something to eat, leaving Eagleheart alone with them. Feeling heavy and weightless at the same time, he took her place and curled up around them, and fell asleep to the sensation of their little paws kneading at his fur.

<> 

            When he woke, Bluemoon was there. The healer nuzzled him gently, and Eagleheart relaxed at the soft touch.

            “Are you ready?” he asked quietly.

            _Ready?_ Eagleheart blinked in confusion before realizing what Bluemoon was talking about. An icy claw ran down his spine.

            “Oh, StarClan,” he whispered, taking a deep breath.

            “Deep breaths,” Bluemoon ordered. “You were destined for this, Eagleheart.”

            “Destined to piss myself in front of the whole clan,” he mumbled, swallowing back his terror, but he forced himself to get up. Spottedkit, Dawnkit, and Pinekit remained undisturbed at his disappearance, so he followed Bluemoon out of the nursery. Aukletflight, Spikeclaw, and Snowsky had already left, he noticed, heart thundering in his chest.

            _Nightstar, if you’re there, send me a sign that I’m doing the right thing. Please, anything to let me know I’m not leading TideClan to its doom._

            Maybe it was just his desperation, but he thought he might have seen the moonlight glint off the ocean just a little bit more brightly.

Stormstar was up on the speaking rock, laying on her stomach with her front legs stretched out in front of her. Some of the light had come back to her eyes, and she looked fully alert even if she wasn’t sitting up. Below her, TideClan watched anxiously.

            “If only I did not have to do this again so soon,” she began. “But it seems that StarClan had another cat in mind for deputyship, as well as many of you. In these many moons of hardship, let compassion be our guiding light in overcoming any evil that walks the living world as well as the next one.”

            A shout of agreement sounded from the front of the crowd.

            “I say this before StarClan, so that they may hear and approve of my choice. Eagleheart will be the new deputy of TideClan.”

            Just like that, it was done. He barely heard the cheering, didn’t feel Otterscratch and the rest of his friends shove him around in joy. His paws tingled. Taking a deep breath, Eagleheart rose to his feet and made his way over to Stormstar.

            He leapt up next to her, but as he did so one of his back legs slipped, and he flopped forward into the rock with a pained grunt. He saw Spikeclaw wince.

            Quickly, he righted himself and faced the clan.

            “Naturally,” he told them.

            A chuckle rolled through the crowd, and the near-palpable tension hanging in the air dissolved. He was still tense, having so many pairs of eyes on him, but he forced his anxiety away for the moment and took a deep breath.

            “I will not lie to you and say I wanted this from the start. I’m young, I’m a little stupid, and I’m still a little nervous while swimming in the ocean,” Eagleheart told the cats before him. He lifted his head, glancing up to the heavens above them all. The stars glinted brightly and without any sense of remorse. The dark tabby stared back at them, now unafraid. “But also, from the start, I was meant to be a warrior of TideClan. Perhaps it was fate that my twoleg died on the side of the road with his monster, perhaps it was chance, but it freed me to make my way here. And then I conversed with a pine marten. Later, a fox. StarClan gave me the gift of understanding the tongue of any animal, and I intend to use it to serve TideClan.”

            Aukletflight let out a loud whoop of support, followed by Otterscratch and Spikeclaw.

            “We’ll save our home,” Eagleheart told them. “There won’t be a generation after us that doesn’t know of the greatest family of cats to walk the living world! Who’s with me?”

            Bluemoon threw back his head and yowled to the sky. The rest of the clan joined in, and Eagleheart bowed to them before leaping back down. The healer himself was the first one to greet him, bumping his forehead with his own so strongly Eagleheart’s teeth rattled in his skull, purring loudly. Behind Bluemoon, Stone-eye nodded in stoic approval. The dark tabby stared at him in shock.

            Warrior after warrior congratulated him and split off to attend to business. Shadowstep asked him who he should take out on patrol, since it was his turn to check the territory boundaries. Eagleheart blinked, and then told him to take Fireflower, Stone-eye, and Thornpaw. The black tom dipped his head and headed off.

            Stormstar smiled at him, looking pleased.

 _Well, that’s that, I guess,_ Eagleheart thought dazedly.

           


	38. Chapter 38

           While everybody went about helping the wounded and getting everything else back in order, Eagleheart made his way up to the forest and slipped away into the night. The moon shining above provided more than enough light to see by, but even the comforting silver glow lighting up the world around him wasn’t enough to calm him down. The scent of rogues lingered on ferns and grass where they had passed on their way to camp, and then back, the scent of fear and shock much fresher than their previous trail.

            Without even thinking his paws carried him to the dead hemlock that he and Bluemoon met at. The healer wasn’t there yet, as Eagleheart couldn’t smell him on the gentle midnight breeze. With a tired sigh, he padded into the hollow formed by the rotting insides of the tree and curled up in a ball.

            It seemed so simple in the legends, he mused. Lilith was allowed to take her cats and live peacefully in the twoleg colony even after all they did to the cats of the sea. TideClan stayed to rule the shore and forest. Everybody got their happily ever after, even after justice was dealt and the memory of the forest clan was lost to time.

            _They have every right to be here,_ he thought again and again. _If only Thicket never became leader of the colony! If only so much blood hadn’t been spilled already… We don’t even know the name of that forest clan, do we?_

            “I know that face,” a familiar voice called. “That’s the ‘I’m Trying To Come Up With A Solution That Will Make Everybody Happy Even Though That’s Never Going To Happen’.”

            Eagleheart cracked an eye open. “Oh, hush. I’m going to figure this out.”

            “Not until you eat.” A fish was dropped at his front paws.

            Reluctantly, he took a bite and chewed. Anxiety and grief had robbed him of his appetite, but after he forced himself to eat a few mouthfuls his stomach seemed to remember how good food tasted. As he wolfed down the rest of the fish, Bluemoon delicately stepped around his legs to lay down against his side, tucking his long legs underneath his belly.

            They rested there in silence for a while after Eagleheart finished the fish. The dark tabby wished that he could just stay in the hollow tree forever, with Bluemoon, and forget everything about the rest of the world.

            “Don’t blame yourself for Redbriar,” Bluemoon finally told him.

            Eagleheart stared down at him. “You medicine cats scare me. Can you all read minds?”

            “When one spends enough time with the dead, the minds of the living are often discovered to be a lot more transparent than you would think.” Bluemoon blinked slyly. “I guess you have more time in the afterlife to be painfully vague.”

            “That makes sense,” he agreed.

            Bluemoon met his eye again, the humor going from his face. “What your sister has done wasn’t your fault, Eagleheart. Some cats are just born that way.”

            “But I should have known, I should have _done_ something,” the tabby protested. His ears flattened in grief. “I could have _talked_ to her. Maybe I did something wrong. I’m her brother, why didn’t I-“

            “No.” The healer put one slender paw over his own. “That’s what she’s trained you to think like. I don’t know her like you do, but what I do know is that you deserved to have a better sister than the likes of Redbriar. She is not worthy of your love.”

            Eagleheart shook his head, not sure what he was trying to deny, but nonetheless very much in denial. Whenever he closed his eyes he saw Birdkit’s dead body, which transformed into his mother’s outstretched claws that glinted too brightly in the light of the setting sun. He felt sick at the memory.

            “We’re going to get through this,” Bluemoon told him.

            “I just feel so _weak._ Stormstar’s on her last life, I’m supposed to be deputy, I-“

            “I know.” The healer bumped his head against Eagleheart’s shoulder. “But you’ll always have Aukletflight, and Softstep, and Spikeclaw and Shadowstep and Fireflower. You’ll always have Otterscratch and Blossompelt and Oceansong. And you have me, now and forever.”

            Eagleheart stared down at him, fire burning hot in his chest, before rolling over and pulling Bluemoon tight against him. Their purring melded together like thunder. For the first time in what felt like moons, Eagleheart began to relax. The gentle night breeze ruffled his pelt and filled the hollow with his and the scent of the healer.

            It was a little while longer before he let himself shut his eyes, but at last, Eagleheart drifted off to sleep.

<> 

            He woke to the chorus of birds singing in the trees above. It was not quite morning yet; the gray light filtering in from behind his makeshift den told him that much. Snuggled up against his stomach was Bluemoon, still asleep and looking at ease with the world.

            Then he remembered he was the deputy of TideClan and proceeded to have a very small panic attack.

            “Bluemoon. Psst, Bluemoon! We gotta go back!” he hissed desperately, pawing at Bluemoon’s narrow shoulders. When all the healer did was mumble something in his sleep Eagleheart had no choice but to shove him off.

            Bluemoon fell back into the leaves and jolted awake. “Wha-? Who? Eagleheart?”

            “It’s morning, we have to go!”

            Bluemoon blinked, mouth slightly open, and then he was on his feet. “I’ll get some yarrow on the way back, we can say you were escorting me.”

            “Good plan!” Eagleheart led the way out of the hollow and galloped at top speed towards the shore, Bluemoon close behind him. Just as the first glint of sunlight peeked out over the eastern horizon the Siamese tom found the yarrow patch he had been looking for, and he stopped to grab a huge mouthful of the leaves. Eagleheart decided to help him and grabbed some as well. Once the pair had gathered as much as they could they took off again, trying their best to not inhale the sour-smelling herb too much.

            They arrived at camp just a small group of warriors began to gather in the cave to begin the dawn patrol. Stone-eye was the first to see them, an expression of annoyance and concern on his grizzled face, before he realized what they had been doing.

            “Eagleheart. Bluemoon.” He dipped his head respectfully.

            _You wouldn’t think of me so highly if you knew what Bluemoon and I were just up to,_ the tabby thought guiltily. He set the yarrow down and nodded back. “Good morning, Stone-eye. Sorry for not getting back sooner.”

            “No need to apologize. If Bluemoon needed an escort then that takes priority,” Stone-eye said. He stepped aside to let the deputy and healer pass.

            Eagleheart followed Bluemoon into the medicine den and set the yarrow down with the rest of the small tom’s collection. A sour taste filled his mouth as he accidentally bit down on a leaf. He spit unhappily, pawing at Bluemoon when he started giggling at the tabby’s accident.

            “What’s that stuff do, anyway?” he asked, and then gagged.

            Bluemoon muffled a cackle behind one long paw. “It makes you throw up!”

            Eagleheart’s stomach rolled, and he groaned. “Bluemoon! _Help_ me!”

            “No can do, my dear. It needs to wear off on its own. Now off you go!” Bluemoon nosed him towards the entrance, still giggling under his breath. “That’ll teach you to be more careful with yarrow from now on!”

            “I _was_ careful!”

            “Mm-hm. Whatever you say.”

            With one last despairing look, Eagleheart left Bluemoon to his healer duties and trotted over to the waiting patrol. He took the lead, setting a good pace into the forest, hoping he wasn’t overdoing it. He didn’t have to go on the dawn patrol, as it wasn’t his turn until tomorrow, but the dark tabby figured making a good impression during his first few moons as deputy wouldn’t do him any harm.

            They made the usual rounds without any problems. Fireflower caught a squirrel, and the entire patrol took a break to catch some food. Eagleheart ended up puking behind a tree, thankfully out of sight from the rest of the group, even if Otterscratch gave him a weird look after he came back out from hiding.

            “You know, back in my day, we’d go out late at night in the winter to try and catch a _hranaugh,”_ Fireflower said peevishly.

            _“Mother, t_ hey’re just stories,” Otterscratch complained.

            “They are not. I’ve seen one with my own two eyes.”

            “A _hranaugh?_ Aren’t those demons?” Eagleheart asked curiously.

            “Indeed. Legend has it that only the greatest warriors have been able to snag one, and even fewer than that live to tell the tale.” Fireflower licked her chops and glanced over at Stone-eye. “But you might see one of their kind if you look to the darkest shadows in the coldest nights, or in the strange crevasses you see when you’re swimming a little too far from the surface…”

            “I assume you’ve seen one?” Oceansong, who was stretched out next to Stone-eye, asked dryly. He looked amused.

            The humor went from Fireflower’s green eyes. For the first time since he’d met her, the magnificent queen looked almost… uneasy?

            “C’mon, Mama. You were probably high on catnip and saw a fox in heat,” Otterscratch told her.

            “I was not high, son. I know what I saw,” Fireflower huffed angrily.

            “What happened?” Eagleheart asked eagerly, his hackles prickling.

            Fireflower looked around, almost like she didn’t want to be overheard by anything else.

            Then, she wriggled forward a little bit and began her story.

            “I was a moon or so away from becoming a warrior. It was the middle of winter, and it wasn’t snowing, so me and Gullcry, may he rest in peace, snuck out to explore. It was fun, for a little while. He nearly got grabbed by an owl. I fell into a drift.” Fireflower raked her claws over the leaves beneath her.

            “Probably not the only thing they did,” Stone-eye grunted to Oceansong.

            “I was tracking a hare… or, at least, what I thought was a hare. It’s my favorite prey. Gullcry was playing in the snow nearby. As I followed the footprints deeper into the forest, the scent of the animal became almost… distorted, like it was sick or dying. The smell split off in three different directions, but only one had footprints to match.”

            Now Eagleheart was invested. The forest seemed to quiet down around the patrol, and he swallowed nervously.

            “I hadn’t believed in the stories of the demons until that night,” said Fireflower. “But as I stared at the three different trails, something moved just out of the corner of my eye. It was large and pale, but it was way too big to be a hare. It was tall, freakishly tall, and thin as a stick when I saw it clearly. It stepped out from the shadows. The legs were long and bony, and the thing’s tail was bent at the end. While it had fur, it was thin and wispy, like ungroomed kitten fluff. But the most terrifying thing about it was its _face.”_

            Fireflower took a breath. “It didn’t have one.”

            Otterscratch’s eyes widened in shock.

            “What do you mean it didn’t have a _face?_ Every creature has a face,” Stone-eye demanded crossly.

            The ginger queen shut her eyes. “I honestly have no words for this thing, even entire season cycles later. Where its face should have been there was just… nothing. The longer I tried to figure out what was going on, the more confused I got, like I was about to pass out. The forest tilted around me. Then, it charged.”

            “Holy StarClan,” Eagleheart whispered.

            “I had enough sense in me to run. It screamed as I did so, like it was in agony, and it was the most awful sound I had ever heard. My ears rang for _days_ after that. Gullcry didn’t know why I almost crashed into him when I found him. I just told him to run, and we did. We made it back to camp in one piece, and I never saw the _hranaugh_ again.”

            There was a long moment of silence.

            “Maybe it was a dying dog,” Otterscratch offered, sounding hesitantly. “Maybe it got attacked by a raccoon or something and its face got all messed up, and then it got lost in the woods and died.”

            “If it was a dog I would have put it out of its misery. It was thin and weak enough for me to kill if I had to. But it just wasn’t.” Fireflower shook her broad head.

            Eagleheart stared at her in awe.

            “Alright, enough messing around. Let’s get going.” Stone-eye stood and shook himself, sending bits of leaves flying off his belly fur.

            “Yeah yeah.” Fireflower cheered up at that and followed the old warrior.

            The way back to camp was uneventful. When they all skidded down the rocky trail to the cave they were greeted by the kits, who immediately started climbing all over Eagleheart. Unsuprisingly, Spottedkit was the leader of the assault.

            “TideClan forever! Drive out the scum!” she yowled, battering at his chest. Dawnkit and Pinekit went for his feet, and Beetlekit, Batkit, and Sunkit attacked his flanks. Aukletflight’s children jumped on his tail- Nightkit, Smokekit, and Briarkit.

            He went down with a cry of pretend-terror and let the kittens crawl all over him. Somebody began nibbling on his ear and he yelped. Sunkit, nearly twice the size of his sisters, pranced up his belly and promptly sat on his face.

            “Blergh! No more kitten butt on me!” Eagleheart demanded. The kits shrieked in delight as he sat up, gently pawing them off.

            Laughter sounded from behind him, and Spikeclaw and Aukletflight trotted up to the mess to pull the kits off. They looked exhausted, and Eagleheart felt a surge of pity and guilt.

            “Do you guys need anything? I can g- Nightkit! I know I don’t have any fleas, so quit biting me!”

            The tiny black molly squealed and rolled off his shoulder before chasing after her sister.

            “No, we’re fine. Thanks, Eagleheart,” Aukletflight told him, blinking tiredly. “It’s just a lot, you know?”

            “Is… is Softstep around?” he asked hesitantly.

            “No,” Spikeclaw snorted.

            Aukletflight gave her a shove. “He’s sleeping.”

            Without another word, the big tabby pushed himself to his feet and headed into the cave, hoping this wouldn’t go as badly as he feared it would.

            The golden tom was in the warriors’s den, on his side and seemingly asleep. Eagleheart wasn’t fooled.

            Softstep groaned as Eagleheart patted at his head with one big paw. He pushed at the bigger tabby, mumbling another protest, but was stopped by a firm shove that resulted in a sharp yelp.

            “Hey!” Softstep jumped up and stared up at Eagleheart with wide, frazzled eyes. His spiky fur was even messier than usual. He was painfully skinny, and Eagleheart could practically feel the sickness radiating off the tom’s bony frame.

            “You need to get up,” Eagleheart told him.

            Softstep blinked, surprised, and then hissed before laying back down. “Don’t tell me what to do. Just because you’re deputy now doesn’t mean you get to run my life!”

            “You know that’s not what I’m after.”

            “Oh yeah?”

            “Yes. It’s time to get back to your life, Softstep. Your children need you. Your _clan_ needs you. Come on, I’ll take you hunting.”

            Eagleheart wasn’t surprised when the other warrior didn’t move, but he did sigh unhappily. He padded over to Softstep and curled up next to him.

            The golden tom didn’t say anything.

            “Spottedkit and Pinekit are the same size now,” Eagleheart told him. “And Sunkit’s the biggest of the lot. Aukletflight’s twins give Spottedkit a run for her prey, though; those two will be the fastest cats on the coast one day. Nightkit and Smokekit are vicious little buggers. They have bites like coyotes.”

            “… And Dawnkit?” Softstep asked quietly.

            “Still the calmest of them all. She’ll be a great diplomat one day.”

            Something like pride flickered across Softstep’s face before quickly being replaced by grief. “I failed them. I failed my own son in the worst way any cat possibly could. Spottedkit, Dawnkit, Pinekit… they deserve a better father than me.”

            “Only if you don’t get your act together! You can’t let Redbriar be right, you just can’t,” Eagleheart pleaded.

            Softstep flinched at the name of his former mate.

            “I’m not going to beg you to do anything,” Eagleheart told him. “But I’m not going to order you to do anything, either. The choice is yours. Are you going to sit in here like a lump, or are you going to show the mother of your kits who the better cat is?”

            With that, he stood and left.

 


	39. Chapter 39

            With the defecting of numerous TideClan warriors came another problem: Lightningpaw and Doepaw no longer had mentors.

            “Stupid Acornfall,” Lightningpaw grumbled as Eagleheart, Thunderstep and Fireflower took her , Thornpaw and Doepaw out into the forest. “Stupid Boulderfoot. If I ever see him again, I’ll whoop him so hard he’ll-“

            “Lightningpaw,” he scolded gently.

            “He’s a coward. I hate him.”

            “Lightningpaw!”

            “She can hate him if she wants. Boulderfoot’s her father,” Thornpaw drawled. Beside her, Thunderstep huffed in amusement.

            “I know. But she’s the bigger person, right, Lightningpaw?” Eagleheart prompted, giving Fireflower a meaningful look.

            “Indeed you are,” the queen agreed, although her tone heavily implied that she had a less than favorable opinion of the former deputy as well.

            Lightningpaw snorted. “I can’t be the bigger person. I’m too short.”

            “Very funny. But you’re better than this, do you understand?” He lowered his head to look her in the eye. “What your relatives do is not a reflection of your own character. Save your anger for the rogues the next time we confront them.”

            “I still hate Boulderfoot,” she said bitterly.

            “I know. How about we just focus on training for now, alright? Your warrior ceremony will be here before you know it.”

            That seemed to cheer her up. Fireflower and Doepaw ended up gossiping about toms, and Thornpaw and Lightningpaw wrestled back and forth halfheartedly. That left him and Thunderstep to walk silently as they brought up the back of the group.

            “You’ve never had an apprentice before, have you not?” Thunderstep asked him, falling back a bit to match the younger tom’s strides.

            “No,” Eagleheart told him quietly, resisting the urge to add on “sir” to the end of his reply. It would have been improper, as he was now higher-ranking than even the senior warriors. “I’m afraid I have little experience with this sort of thing.”

            “Nonsense. You’re great with those nieces and nephews of yours. It’s just like that, only you can give your charge official orders,” the ginger tom said proudly.

            “Oh, okay. Thanks,” Eagleheart said dumbly, hoping to StarClan he wasn’t making a fool of himself, or at least wasn’t going to make a fool of himself when they started training the apprentices. He started analyzing every single thing Boulderfoot had taught him when he had been apprenticed to him. How many sand-sprints constituted as a complete workout again?

            They arrived at the clearing just as the last rays of the setting sun vanished into nothing. Fireflower had Doepaw and Lightningpaw start boxing, while Thornpaw went for a run with Thunderstep. Fireflower then called Eagleheart aside to the other end of the clearing.

            “I’m going to take Lightningpaw climbing in a bit, you stay here and do combat drills with Doepaw. See you later!” Fireflower said cheerfully, before gathering up Lightningpaw and leading her off into the forest.

            He waved, and she waved back, before he yelped in pain as multiple sharp _somethings_ dug into his tail.

            Eagleheart turned to see Doepaw’s claws dug into his tail.

            “Why was that necessary?” he asked through gritted teeth.

            “It moved,” was all the tabby said, before attacking his tail again.

            Eagleheart backed away and sat on his tail. “Okay, okay. Um. Fighting stance?”

            Doepaw assumed her fighting stance. Eagleheart blinked, suddenly realizing how much she looked like her father, Falconflight. Same white chest and paws, with striking black rings around her eyes like the queen Grassbug had. Falconflight had betrayed TideClan for Thicket, but both Thornpaw and Doepaw didn’t seem to be all that affected. For the first time, the black tabby wondered if Falconflight had actually been a good father to the sisters.

            He snapped back out of his thoughts as Doepaw started to look a little confused about holding her position for so long.

            “Sorry. Got lost in thought for a moment there.” Eagleheart shook off the last remnants of absentmindedness before nodding in approval. “Good, now attack me.”

            Doepaw bunched her legs and shot at him like a hawk. Eagleheart was much bigger and heavier than her, but he still got the wind knocked out of him by the molly’s assault. He let himself get run over before rolling to the side and flipping Doepaw off him.

            The molly whooped in delight and landed perfectly on her feet. She beamed up at him with sparkling green eyes. “I did it! Did you see?”

            Eagleheart couldn’t help but laugh with her enthusiasm. “Good job with that landing. And yes, I saw. How about we focus on not breaking your neck when you tackle somebody?”

            Doepaw pouted at the fact she didn’t get the attack right, but immediately dropped back into her fighting stance.

            “Don’t turn your head to the side when you launch- yes, even if they’re smaller than you. You could always break your neck. Lower your head against your chest and- alright, good, good, and- augh! Doepaw! Don’t charge me yet, I’m not done talking to you-!”

            Eagleheart would gladly say that Doepaw was dedicated and enthusiastic any day of the season cycle. He hoped that Falconflight, wherever that tomcat was, was really regretting leaving TideClan for Thicket and his rogues, if not just because he was missing out on watching his daughters grow up.

            But Doepaw, despite her name, was anything but sweet and gentle. In the time it took for Thunderstep and Thornpaw to come back from their run, the hyperactive molly had chewed on both of his ears, his entire tail, his front right paw, and his face. Eventually, the two devolved to simply wrestling with Eagleheart either giving criticism or approval on Doepaw’s strategies.

            Thornpaw and Thunderfoot came galloping back into the hollow just as Doepaw figured out that kicking a tom in a certain spot hurt very much.

            “I can’t believe you got your as handed to you by a molly the size of your leg,” Thunderstep snorted.

            Eagleheart just whimpered and dragged himself off to wash the disgrace away.  

            After Fireflower deemed the battle practice session over she led them to the border for a patrol. Despite Doepaw’s earlier unruliness, she settled down as they fell into silence, keeping their ears pricked for any signs of trouble.

            Well, at least for a little while.

            “Is Redbriar really your sister?” she asked.

            “Doepaw,” Thunderstep hissed.

            “It’s… it’s okay, Thunderstep,” Eagleheart murmured. Then, louder: “Yes, Redbriar is my sister. Why?”

            “You don’t act like her,” Doepaw noted.

            “Lots of siblings don’t act like each other. Spikeclaw and Shadowstep aren’t anything alike,” Eagleheart pointed out.

            “… Oh,” was all Doepaw had to say to that. 

            None of them said anything until they got back. Eagleheart split away from the others and headed into the nursery.

            Spottedkit, Dawnkit and Pinekit were curled up next to Aukletflight, completely silent for once. When they saw Eagleheart squeeze through the entrance, only Spottedkit got up to greet him.

            “Is it true?” she asked, little voice wavering.

            Eagleheart didn’t have to ask what she meant. “Yes.”

            “Momma’s bad?” Dawnkit whimpered. “But she said she loved us!”

            “And she does!” Eagleheart said hurriedly.

            Aukletflight leaned down to rasp her tongue over Dawnkit’s head. “Just because some cats do bad things doesn’t mean they don’t care about others. Ask Spikeclaw.”

            “Spikeclaw’s daddy is a real jerk,” Briarkit told Dawnkit.

            “He is,” Spikeclaw agreed.

            Batkit looked up at her mother with murky blue eyes. “Does he care about you and Uncle Shadowstep?”

            The skinny black queen tilted her head. “I think he does in his own way. That doesn’t make him a good cat, but it does still make him my father. Hopefully we won’t see him again until you all are apprentices, so we can all beat him up together!” She swiped at the air in front of her with unsheathed claws, a grin on her muzzle.

            “Yeah!” Beetlekit squealed.

            Eagleheart laid down next to Spottedkit, Dawnkit, and Pinekit, looking each one of them in the eyes. “Your mother still loves you very much. Nothing could, or will, ever change that. And so does Softstep, and me, and everybody else in the clan.”

            Spottedkit and Dawnkit nodded, relaxing a little, but Pinekit’s brows were still furrowed.

            “What’s wrong, Pinekit?” Eagleheart prompted gently. “You look like you have something on your mind.”

            “… Will we have to fight her?” the ginger tom asked quietly.

            Eagleheart, Aukletflight, and Spikeclaw all exchanged a glance.

            “Not if you don’t want to,” Aukletflight told him.

            “She probably doesn’t want to fight you, either,” Eagleheart added.

            “Yeah,” Spikeclaw agreed.

            Pinekit narrowed his eyes. “Too bad for her, then, ‘cause I’m gonna get her back for what she did to Birdkit. She… she killed him, didn’t she?”

            Eagleheart couldn’t make himself speak. Dawnkit started crying.

            “We’ll help you avenge him!” Batkit promised. “We all will.”

            “Your mama will be _real_ sorry,” Sunkit said as he wiggled over to Dawnkit and rested his head on her back.

            “Yeah!” Batkit said again, ears pricked straight up.

            Eagleheart was a little worried by the kits’ collective willingness to beat up Redbriar, but also a little touched by their dedication to each other at such an early age.

            Nearby, a sleepy Snowsky spoke up. “You are all barbarians.”

<> 

            Summer lasted a few more moons before the mornings cooled and the leaves began to turn from green to yellows. Skirmishes between the clan and Thicket’s rogues became nearly nonexistent. Lightningpaw became a warrior one particularly cool afternoon, the entire clan cheering as she was given her new name: Lightningstripe. Much to the relief of everybody else, Stone-eye finally agreed to retire and joined Blossompelt in the elders’ den, but still insisted on tagging along on a border patrol every so often.

            “I may be old, but I’m still strong!” he would insist before limping on over to the medicine den to get some herbs for the developing stiffness in his back legs.

            Speaking of the medicine den…

            Being a deputy definitely had its perks, Eagleheart thought with a guilty pleasure as he and Bluemoon followed Stormstar down to the beach. Even though they were both busy enough to get few nights to themselves, being high-ranking did a world of wonder for being able to be seen together in public.

            “Perhaps I’m just fussing like a queen, but I think it might be time to send a scout or two to figure out where those rogues ran off to,” Stormstar said once the three of them were walking side by side on the sand.

            Eagleheart didn’t mention that the clan had been bouncing off the cave walls for the past three moons from the lack of fighting or even information about what the rogues had been doing. He had even caught Lightningstripe sneaking around by the border multiple times, looking out into the forest beyond for any signs of activity.

            “I think that’s a good idea,” he offered instead. “What cats were you thinking about sending? I personally think Shadowstep would be a good candidate. He still has a bit of rogue-scent left on him and he’s very stealthy.”

            But Stormstar didn’t seem so pleased. “What if Thicket tries to hold him prisoner? I’m worried he’s at an even greater risk for capture than the rest of us.”

            “Shadowstep is a fearsome warrior. Either they’d take him dead or not at all,” Eagleheart told her. And it was true. Despite being smaller than most of his clanmates, the sleek black tom was well on his way to becoming the swiftest and most agile warrior on the shore.

            “… Agreed,” Stormstar finally murmered. “Then Shadowstep will be one of the team. I was hoping you would be another. You would be leading, of course.”

            “Really? Alright,” Eagleheart agreed, honored that the clan leader would choose him to be the head of such an important mission.

            He didn’t miss the expression of immense worry that crossed Bluemoon’s face.

            “I was thinking Rosepetal for the third. She could use the experience,” Stormstar said with an air of finality.

            Eagleheart dipped his head. “Good idea. When do we leave?”

            “This evening. Go ahead and rest up. I’ll be there to see the three of you off.” Stormstar bumped her shoulder against his.

            “You’re not coming with?” Eagleheart asked, disappointed.

            A trace of the molly’s good humor came back as she huffed in amusement. “Sadly, no. Thunderstep caught a trace of fox earlier and we’d thought we should go make sure it’s your canine friend and not some bastard trying to pass through here.”

            “Good luck,” he told her.

            “You too, Eagleheart.” She knocked her head against his before taking off down the beach, where Thunderstep and Thornpaw were fishing.

            Bluemoon pressed himself tightly against Eagleheart, looking up at him with large, frightened eyes. “This won’t be anything like you’ve done before. TideClan trains warriors, Eagleheart, not spies!”

            “I know. Everything will be fine, I _promise._ I’ll be there and back before you know it,” the dark tabby promised.

            Bluemoon groaned and shook his head, twining his tail with Eagleheart’s. Eagleheart kissed his cheek and sighed. “I better go round up Shadowstep and Rosepetal. Talk to you in a day or so, alright?”

            “Alright,” Bluemoon murmured. “Just… be safe.”

            “You know I always am.”

            The healer gave him a look, to which Eagleheart snorted, knocked his head against Bluemoon’s, and began the hike back up to the cave.

            Shadowstep was in the nursery with Aukletflight, talking in low voices. Playing with the kittens nearby was Rosepetal. Eagleheart thanked StarClan for his luck and trotted over to them, laughing as the kits took notice of him and scrambled over to attack his paws.

            “Shadowstep, Rosepetal. A word?” he asked, carefully stepping around the mob of meowing kits.

            Rosepetal trotted over to him, black ears pricked. “What’s up?”

            “A scouting trip.”

            Shadowstep came to stand beside her. “To find the rogues.”

            “Yes. We need to go figure out what Thicket is up to,” Eagleheart explained. “Stormstar picked the three of us.”

            “She picked us?” Rosepetal asked, green eyes widening in delight.

            “She thinks we’re the best warriors for the mission, yes.”

            The tortoiseshell looked absolutely delighted to have been chosen by the clan leader. Shadowstep just dipped his head.

            “The sun’s going to start setting soon. Go eat something, you two. I have to go do something and then I’ll catch up with you,” Eagleheart said.

            _Hey, I’m actually getting pretty okay with this whole giving-orders thing!_

            Aukletflight glanced over her shoulder, looking immensely tired. At her belly, Briarkit and Nightkit smacked at each other and screeched. “Just come back alive, you three.”

            “We will!” Rosepetal chirped as she trotted out of the nursery after Shadowstep.

            Eagleheart padded over to her and bumped his forehead to hers. “How are the kits?”

            “It’s hard, Eagleheart,” Aukletflight began, the smile dropping from her face. She let her head fall against the moss. “I was so excited to be a mother. And I still am! But it’s just… so much. I didn’t think raising three new people would be so _difficult.”_

            “But you’re doing it, and you’re doing a great job. I may not be a parent, but from what I can tell nobody could be a better mother to those kittens,” Eagleheart encouraged.

            That seemed to make Aukletflight feel a little better. With a murmured statement of gratitude and a massive yawn, she rolled over on her side and started snoring. Eagleheart nuzzled her broad head and left her to her beauty rest.

            He had a mission to complete.

    


	40. Chapter 40

          

                As soon as the sun began to dip down the horizon, Eagleheart rounded up Shadowstep and Rosepetal and headed up to the forest.

                Just before they entered the shadowy trail into the trees, Eagleheart caught a glimpse of a slender figure with large ears watching them from the edge of the cliff. He turned his head just the slightest bit to get a better view, but before he could meet the eyes of the sunlit silhouette it vanished, and a wave of loneliness hit him despite his two friends beside him.

_I’ll be right back, Bluemoon. I promise._

                “Everything all right, Eagleheart?”

                He almost jumped at the sound of Rosepetal’s loud voice. “What? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Let’s get going.”

                Eagleheart took the lead and set a steady pace for the edge of the territory. He and Rosepetal made small talk all the way there, with the chatty tortoiseshell carrying most of the conversation. When the familiar scent of the border approached, however, she immediately fell silent. Eagleheart realized why, and his mood soured. The forest outside of clan ground was no longer a fun adventure- it was dangerous.

                Retracing his footsteps towards where the rogues last camped out, Eagleheart kept tasting the air for any sign of cats. A vole had just passed through here, with a coyote right behind it, and then a fox. He wondered if it was Uki.

                “Split up and surround the camp,” Eagleheart whispered.

                The two other warriors left without a sound. The dark tabby crept forward, inhaling deeply a few more times, and smelled nothing but the forest around him.

                He wiggled through a hole in the brush and into the main part of camp. Upon seeing no fresh pawprints or disturbed foliage, Eagleheart stood and looked around.

                “There’s nobody here,” he called. Shadowstep and Rosepetal slipped out of the gathering darkness. Inwardly, he cursed; if Eggfur hadn’t betrayed them she would have been able to find something. She had been one of the best trackers in TideClan.

               The three of them stood in silence for a bit, thinking.

               The forest was way too big for them to thoroughly search, even if they split up. There was no evidence the rogues had even been in the area.

 _If I was a colony leader, where would I take my cats?_ Eagleheart wondered. He analyzed every part of the coast he had been to. Thicket’s rogues were primarily short-haired and numerous. They would need a large territory with lots of prey and access to water, preferably a river or hot spring.

               Then he remembered the woods to which Otterscratch had fled to during his first heat. Lush, mossy, filled with wildlife.

               “I know where they went,” Eagleheart exclaimed. “There’s this part of the forest I’ve been to before; it’s full of prey and has lots of foliage. It’s perfect for a short-haired cat colony.”

               Without another word, he took off.

               He heard the galloping of the two warriors behind him, so he sped up and headed in the direction of Otterscratch’s hiding spot.

               It wasn’t until all of the stars came out that they made it to the mossy woods. Eagleheart slowed, gasping for breath. If he kept all of this running up, he wouldn’t have any fat to keep himself comfortable during the winter. With Rosepetal and Shadowstep flanking him, he pressed on. The sounds of early night surrounded them- the chirping of crickets, a few owls in the distance, coyotes way out by the twoleg colony.

               They fell back into a stealthy crawl, keeping close together. Eagleheart eventually felt Shadowstep tap him on the back with his tail, and he looked over to see the black tom jerk his head to the left. Eagleheart tapped Rosepetal on the back as well, and she followed him and Shadowstep through the thick ferns.

                It didn’t take long for Eagleheart to figure out what Shadowstep was after. The unmistakable scent of cats tickled the roof of his mouth, faint but definitely there. The other tom must have an amazing sense of smell to pick that out, he noted.

                They followed the scent trail for a while longer, staying completely silent, and at last the trio came to a massive tangle of bramble and brush. The smell of cats was much stronger here. If the rogues’ camp wasn’t in there, it was just beyond it.

                Eagleheart slowed to a crawl and stopped. He looked over at Shadowstep and nodded. The black tom crept forward without a sound and slipped into the brush. With his pulse hammering its way up into his throat, he waited for Shadowstep to return.

                It was a long while before he did, and by then Eagleheart was practically shaking from nervousness. Shadowstep didn’t stop, just jerked his head for them to follow him. Concerned, Eagleheart trotted after him, and he heard Rosepetal doing the same.

                He led them under a thick brush, and they all crouched close together. “There was a meeting. Redbriar is organizing them into a clan. She’s practically their leader now. They practically worship the ground she walks on, if not out of fear.”

                Rosepetal’s green eyes widened.

                “They remember what she did to Birdkit,” Eagleheart whispered.

                “Indeed. Thicket’s not too happy about her leadership; I don’t think it’s the clan laws he’s angry about. It’s the fact that he’s no longer the head of the colony.” Shadowstep’s pale eyes narrowed briefly. “He’s getting old, and every cat knows it. Redbriar is young and strong and charismatic. She’s everything they need.”

                “Are they planning anything?” Rosepetal asked quietly.

                “Redbriar mentioned some kind of side mission at the end of the meeting. Only mollies went with her, which is… different,” Shadowstep explained.

                Eagleheart’s stomach sank to his paws as he realized what his sister was probably up to. “They’re planning a mission to get the kits.”

_“What?”_

               Shadowstep shushed the tortoiseshell.

               “Kits will panic if an unfamiliar tom comes near them,” the dark tabby recalled, Otterscratch’s words coming back to him. “If Redbriar takes mollies, preferably queens with her, then they would stand a better chance of getting the kits out without a fuss.”

               “Damn it, they could be moving out right this instant!” Shadowstep growled.

               “You’re the fastest, Shadowstep. Run to camp and warn everyone,” Eagleheart ordered.

               He didn’t have to tell the Shadowstep twice. The black tom turned and vanished into the night without a sound.

               Eagleheart turned to Rosepetal. “Let’s get going. We’re going to get caught if-“

               But Rosepetal wasn’t listening. Her gaze was focused on something to her left and his right, and with horror he picked up on the slightest sound of paw pads on the forest floor.

               “Sorry to interrupt your meeting, brother dear,” a smooth voice told him. It came from the same direction as the footsteps.

 _We can still run,_ Eagleheart thought wildly, blood roaring almost deafeningly in his ears. _We’ll split up,_ _Rosepetal can follow Shadowstep’s scent trail and I can find my own way back; I’ve been here before-_

              He screeched in shock and pain as a pair of heavy weights crashed down on top of him, crushing him to the ground. Rosepetal yowled in rage as she was tackled as well. Thrashing wildly, Eagleheart tried to throw them off, but the rogues had apparently learned better fighting styles when it came to battling bigger cats. They dug their claws deep into his fur and skin and held on for dear life as he rolled over. Just as he made it back to his feet, the rogues let go for barely a heartbeat before reattaching themselves. He tried biting one in the leg but was rewarded with a set of claws across his muzzle.

_“Nobody move!”_

              Everybody froze at once. Eagleheart gasped for breath, still wide-eyed. Blood welled up all over his jaw, and he tasted salt in his mouth.

              Slowly, he turned his head to see Rosepetal being pinned to the earth by none other than Redbriar. Redbriar’s claws were in the tortoiseshell’s mane, and she was leaning heavily on Rosepetal’s chest to stop her from breathing. The warrior wheezed for breath and clawed feebly at the queen on top of her.

              “Stop, you’re choking her!” Eagleheart cried.

              “Come quietly, and I won’t kill your friend. Sheathe your claws.” Redbriar loosened her grip on Rosepetal, and she sucked in air noisily before coughing.

              Eagleheart did as he was told. Redbriar flicked her tail, and the rogues climbed off him. He pushed himself to his feet, and was quickly surrounded by a brown tabby, a solid gray molly, and a tortoiseshell with striking black rings around each eye. Two more tabby cats flanked Rosepetal. Redbriar turned and strode purposefully towards the camp, her bushy tail held high.

              The tortoiseshell shoved him. “Move.”

              Eagleheart had no choice but to obey. Feeling sick to his stomach, he let himself be herded after Redbriar.

              He could only hope Shadowstep made it back alright.

              They came to a hole in the bramble, and the brown tabby in front of him nodded to it. Eagleheart crouched and squeezed in, wincing as thorns raked across his already bleeding face. The tunnel was obviously made for cats much smaller than he was. Something snagged in his fur, and he had to stop before pushing forward, causing a few twigs to snap.

              “Get a load out of this fatass,” one of the rogues muttered behind him.

              “I feel bad for every tree he’s ever climbed.”

              “The trees? I feel bad for the _ground.”_

              Somebody snorted in amusement before breaking out laughing, and the other rogue joined in.

              Eagleheart felt something like misery burn under his pelt, making his ears hot and his paws cold. He shoved the feeling deep down inside, where nobody else could see it, and pushed out of the brush and into a mossy clearing.

              The place was just large enough to accommodate a group of cats twice or even three times the size of TideClan, much more than the black tabby could ever hope to count to. Pine trees of many different kinds formed a protective circle around the hollow, with bramble filling in most of the gaps in between the trees. Ferns also grew here and there, and from a clump nearby Eagleheart could smell mouse and vole. _That’s where they must keep their prey._

              There wasn’t a lot of light in the clearing, as the moon was halved, and the thick needles of the pines didn’t let a lot of stars shine through to the earth below, but it was just enough to see comfortably by as Eagleheart spotted Redbriar up on a fallen tree that slanted down across the camp. Beside her was Thicket, and then the twin black mollies. Unsurprisingly, the pair looked completely unfazed by all that was going on, simply acknowledging something one of the rogues that had escorted Rosepetal was saying with slight waves of their tails. The rogue dipped her head and melted back into the growing crowd surrounding the fallen tree.

             Was that his eyes playing tricks on him, or did he see Eggfur at the edge of the clearing? He tried to discreetly check out the cats surrounding them to pick out a familiar face, but found nobody he recognized.

              Eagleheart and Rosepetal were brought right up to the four. The black tabby felt Redbriar’s intense gaze on him, and he met it, refusing to back down despite the fear curdling his guts. Her amber eyes were as piercing and as cold as the unfamiliar forest around him.

              She didn’t bother with formalities or even a simple greeting to the rest of the colony. “Mind telling us what you two were doing right outside of our camp?”

              Eagleheart would have found the fact she was treating him like a naughty kitten funny if he wasn’t so anxious and scared.

              Somehow, he managed to rally the courage to stay silent.

              “Stormstar sent a scouting mission, didn’t she? Thought she could get the drop on us?” she asked again, this time addressing Rosepetal.

              Rosepetal said nothing.

              Redbriar sighed, slipping down from her perch. She stretched, cracking her back in the process, and stalked over to him.

              He barely had the time to flinch before claws raked across his face. He recoiled just in time for a swift box to the underside of his jaw, and Eagleheart collapsed. Blood welled up in his mouth, and he coughed painfully. His vision blurred.

 _“Stop it!”_ Eagleheart heard Rosepetal shriek, and the sound of a quick scuffle made his ears ring. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw the tortoiseshell fighting with a tabby. He jumped to his feet, ignoring his spinning head, but was stopped when a pair of rogues held him back from helping his friend.

              Redbriar snarled at the rogue attacking Rosepetal, and the tabby sprang off her. Rosepetal scrambled to her feet with a furious hiss. Despite her brave cry of outrage just a moment ago, she immediately quailed as the torbie towered over her with bared fangs.

              Rosepetal yowled in shock as Redbriar grabbed her by the scruff and shook her violently. With a mighty twist, she tossed the smaller molly a few coyote-lengths away where she laid there, stunned. The rogues immediately scrambled back to give Redbriar room as she pounced again, this time tearing into her shoulder and clawing bloody furrows into her sides.

              “Redbriar,” Eagleheart choked. _“Redbriar!”_

              Redbriar either didn’t hear him or simply did not listen to his pleas. Again and again, she bit and clawed Rosepetal until the TideClan warrior bled from seemingly everywhere.

              With a final bite to the chest, Redbriar coolly stepped off her and began washing her face. Eagleheart was too shocked to even try and move. He could only stare at her and the bloody Rosepetal, who laid still on the ground.

              “Take them away.”

              Eagleheart stumbled as the same rogues who had escorted him to the camp herded him towards a den underneath a tree. He slipped on his way in and landed face first on the hard ground. There was dirt and blood all over him.

              A thump and the sound of a body sliding down over the earth announced the presence of Rosepetal. Eagleheart struggled to his feet, panic rising in his throat, and nosed her frantically. “Rosepetal!”

              A low groan made its way out of her mouth.

              He rolled her over, and he inhaled shakily. One of her eyes was swelling shut. Blood crusted her mottled black-and-golden fur. Her breathing was hoarse and weak.

              Out of desperation, he looked to the entrance of his prison to see the shadows of his two guards- the big gray molly and the tortoiseshell.

              “Please, do you have a medicine cat? She’s going to bleed out!” he begged.

              Both guards turned to look at him with blank expressions.

              “A what?” the gray molly deadpanned.

              “A _healer,”_ Eagleheart elaborated, still shaking.

              The guard sighed in exasperation. “Look, either the kid dies or she doesn’t. Get used to it or die with her.”

              With that, they turned from him and fell silent.

              He ended up cleaning her wounds the best he could and constantly checking her for infection as the night wore on. Rosepetal slept almost completely on top of him; he was terrified of her touching the dirt and contracting something, and despite his own exhaustion he woke her up every so often to make sure she was still alive.

              This continued until sunlight began to filter down through the treetops. His head pounded from exhaustion and anxiety. As the rest of the forest woke up and birdsong filled the air, Eagleheart finally let himself fall into unconsciousness.


	41. Chapter 41

            He woke to something furry being thrown at his face.

            It took him the space of a heartbeat to remember what had happened. With a gasp, Eagleheart leapt to his feet. Next to him, Rosepetal whimpered.

            The tabby found himself starting at the sight of a dead squirrel at his paws. Then he looked up into the eyes of the tortoiseshell guard from earlier.

            Freckled hazel eyes stared into his. Then Eagleheart realized he should probably say something to the other cat.

            “… Um, thank you.”

            The tortoiseshell’s expression didn’t change. “Sure.”

            “Where’s Redbriar?” Eagleheart asked, hoping to StarClan his sister wasn’t around.

            “Out.”

            He began to realize that he wasn’t going to get anywhere with this weird cat. He turned back to Rosepetal, but a sharp word stopped him. “Wait.”

            Eagleheart looked back.

            “I know herbs. Let me see your friend.”

            More out of shock than anything else, he scooted to the side to give the tortoiseshell room. His unexpected ally looked from side to side, wary, before slipping into the den.

            Eagleheart realized why the tortoiseshell had been of so few words when a bundle of herbs fell to the earth, cleverly hidden under the tongue of the guard. The cat went to work chewing the herbs and spreading them over Rosepetal’s wounds. Eagleheart tentatively began to nibble at the squirrel.

            “Where… where did you learn that?” he asked, amazed. As far as he knew, Bluemoon was the only cat who had such mastery over medicine.

            “You TideClan warriors think us savage strays, but it was us who taught TideClan medicine cats the way of healing.”

            “You’re a healer?” Eagleheart exclaimed.

            The tortoiseshell snorted. “No, nor to I want to be. I’m a mercenary.”

            “Mercenary?”

            “I fight for whoever gives me food, shelter, and respect.”

            “... Oh.”

            The tortoiseshell gave him a creepy grin. “I’m Shade.”

            “Eagleheart.”

            “I know. You’re Redbriar’s brother.”

            He was at a loss for words with this cat. “So, if you’ve allied yourself with these rogues, why are you helping me?”

            Shade’s dry air of cheer faded a little. “I’m not heartless. I saw what she did to that kitten… her son.”

            At the mention of Birdkit, Eagleheart’s chest panged in agony. He swallowed and nodded. His paws felt weak.

            “I was there when that brother almost got murdered. Stopped the bleeding just enough so that he’d survive until help came for him.”

            At first, Eagleheart didn’t know what the rogue was talking about; it still hurt just thinking about his dead nephew. Then, he slowly began to put together what he had been told.

            “You saved Otterscratch,” he said in disbelief. As he stared at the tortoiseshell, it hit him why this weird mercenary would feel just enough empathy for a complete stranger. “You’re a tom like him, aren’t you?”

            “I’ll be damned.” Shade stared at him in disbelief. Eagleheart then realized that this unsettling cat was also very gorgeous. Huh. “Looks like TideClan cats aren’t just fat fucks who like to chase crabs all day.”

            “Oh, we’re fat fucks who chase crabs all day. We just do it in style.”

            Shade cackled, spitting some more paste on to his paw before smearing it on Rosepetal’s chest. “Hehehe. I like you, clan cat. But I’m not quite like your Otterscratch. Sometimes I am, and sometimes I’m a molly.”

            A tom _and_ a molly? Eagleheart thought that was completely fascinating, but his mood quickly plummeted when he heard a caterwaul.

            “What was…”

            Another loud call made the both of them stiffen, and then Shade got up and left without another word, quietly and quickly as a shadow.

            Eagleheart stared after him, bewildered.

            Rosepetal was still unconscious, so he rested his head next to hers and closed his eyes. A part of him wondered if he had just dreamed up Shade.

            So creepy. So handsome.

            “What the hell,” he said to nobody.

<> 

            Many days and nights passed. Rosepetal’s health changed from one moment to the next, but to Eagleheart’s disappointment she didn’t seem to be recovering.

            The weather wasn’t helping, either. One day it would be cold and rainy, the next just plain cold, and the one after that hot and sunny. Even he caught something and ended up sneezing violently for another quarter moon. Those days he was miserable and bored out of his mind, and Rosepetal had it even worse. Still, he prayed to StarClan that Stormstar wouldn’t risk a rescue for them. They were low enough in members as it was, and if it came down to it, TideClan could always just choose another deputy.

            One cool dusk, Shade and the big gray molly came to get him and brought him out to the main part of camp.

            The pair said nothing to him as they left him by the fallen log. Shade might have given him a look, but he didn’t really know.

            A foul scent caught his attention, and he looked to see a pair of toms tearing apart some mice and flinging the innards everywhere. A pair of kittens joined in, shrieking with laughter as they got blood all over their paws.

            _They have no respect for other creatures,_ he realized in horror.

            “So.”

            Eagleheart’s mane spiked, but he managed to keep it together. “Hello, Redbriar.”

            “Hello, brother dear. I was hoping we could walk and talk. You know, like old times.” He heard her shake herself off, and he got sprayed with water droplets. Perhaps there was a river nearby a water-loving cat could swim in.

            “Like old times,” he muttered.

            “Exactly. I can show you the camp.”

            That startled him into looking up at Redbriar. The torbie was lounging majestically on the mossy log, her face turned up to the weak sunlight. She looked calm, as far as Eagleheart could tell, something that surprised and unnerved him at the same time.

            He remembered their old twoleg, their dear Steven who had died so far before his rightful time. Their life with him seemed uncountable season cycles ago. Sometimes, when he thought of the human in quiet moments when he was by himself, it almost felt like it hadn’t been his and his sister’s childhood at all.

            _What would you think of us now, old friend?_

            Redbriar slipped down from the fallen log and strode by him. “Come.”

            Not seeing a way out of it, Eagleheart followed her.

            She led them to a large, hollow log. “This is where most of the adults sleep. The elders get to make their nests towards the back, where it’s warmer.” Then, she flicked her tail towards a hole in the bramble beside the log. “The yearlings sleep in there. Most of them still want to be near their parents, even if they don’t want to admit it.”

            After that, she marched over to a flat-topped boulder, and despite her swagger the torbie’s voice dropped to a quiet murmur. “Thicket’s den is here. He’s sleeping now. His mate will stay with him a lot, and she’s the only one allowed in.”

            Eagleheart stared at the dark hole that led into the earth. He didn’t say anything.

            The torbie didn’t seem to care. With a toss of her head, she headed over to a different part of the camp. It was larger than even the cave TideClan made their home in, and it seemed even bigger with the cloudy sky overhead. Eagleheart padded after Redbriar until she stopped and nodded to a massive pine tree adjacent to them. There were two holes in the roots, each leading to a different den as far as he could tell.

            He inhaled deeply, determining the scents drifting from the dens to be that of nursing queens and kittens. _The nursery._

            “The queens live in the one to the right,” Redbriar explained. “And the kings to the left.”

            Eagleheart blinked, furrowing his brows in confusion. “Wait, what?”

            “And he finally speaks,” Redbriar said smugly.

            Eagleheart looked at her, pushing down the boiling anger in favor of his curiosity. In the back of his mind, something noted that he was taller than her. Much taller. “What are… kings?”

            “Not what. _Who.”_

            Almost on cue, a familiar tortoiseshell slipped up from the den on the left. Shade stretched and yawned, his dark dappled coat like sunlight on the forest floor. White fangs flashed brightly. Another cat wriggled out and bumped Shade’s shoulder, this one a skinny but good-looking gray tabby, and very pregnant.

            It had never occurred to Eagleheart that toms like Otterscratch and Shade (kind of) could still get pregnant and have kits. He supposed that he had just categorized the two right in with the other toms, alike in every way except for maybe size and scent.

But what really boggled his mind was the fact that weird, unsettling Shade was going to be a _father._ And a mother.

            “What’s with the confused look? I thought you were already familiar with transgender cats,” Redbriar asked, her tone unreadable.

            “I am, I just didn’t real-“

            He stopped mid-sentence as he fully understood what he had just admitted to. Nausea rolled through him like a wave.

            Redbriar’s amber eyes practically gleamed. “I was right about Otterscratch after all. That bastard had everybody fooled!”

            His temper went, and he turned on the former warrior with a snarl. “He never had anybody fooled, you idiot! He couldn’t, because he was just being himself.”

            “Otterscratch is a _liar,_ Eagleheart. There should be no secrets between clanmates. He’s a liar and a coward for not telling TideClan who he is!” Redbriar declared, ears flattening against her skull in anger.

            “Just like you didn’t tell anybody about you working with Thicket? Because you didn’t tell anybody who _you_ were until you killed Birdkit _._ An innocent _child._ Your _son,”_ Eagleheart hissed scathingly. Fury burned through him like it had never burned before. He wanted to kill Redbriar right there and then. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed a crowd gathering.

            Redbriar’s lips lifted to reveal her fangs. Her pupils slit until they were no more than a hair-width wide. “If Birdkit had just gotten out of the way I wouldn’t have had to do that! You should have grabbed him, Eagleheart! You could have saved him!”

            Part of him wailed that she was right, that it was _his_ fault his nephew died. Redbriar sounded absolutely heartbroken. He did that to her.

            Eagleheart crushed that thought. He was done with Redbriar’s manipulation and gaslighting. “No have no one to blame but yourself and you know it. Nice try, Redbriar, but you gave up the right to be the savior of this coast the moment you accepted Thicket’s offer. You will never be the hero. _Ever.”_

            The torbie snarled so loudly his ears rang, and she swiped at him, her actions clumsy with rage. Eagleheart jolted back, but he couldn’t avoid the onslaught of fangs and claws when she hurled himself at him. They crashed back into the dirt, writhing and screeching. He heard the rogues leap out of their way as they wrestled to and fro, blood and fur flying everywhere. Dirt got kicked up into his eyes, and he cried out.

            “I’m the only family who cares about you, Eagleheart! I’m your sister! I know what’s best, and you will _listen to me,”_ Redbriar screamed. Wickedly sharp claws sank into his throat, and he gasped. “You… will… listen!”

            He spit at her. “You. Aren’t. My. Sister.”

            Then, everything stopped.

            The weight vanished from on top of him. Eagleheart found himself blinking painfully up into wide eyes ringed with brown and russet fur. She didn’t say anything as she stared down at him, a strange expression on her face. Very slowly, she tilted her head, considering him as if he was a creature she had never seen before. Fear sliced though his guts.

            It was then that Eagleheart realized that the molly he used to call family was well and truly insane.

            Eagleheart almost didn’t hear her next words, even as they were spoken into a completely silent clearing.

            “Bring out the other prisoner.”

            It took a moment to understand, but when he did, his paws went numb. Slowly, Eagleheart got to his feet, swaying side to side like a tree in the wind.

            There was a slight commotion, and a burly black-and-white tom dragged Rosepetal out of the crowd by the scruff. The tortoiseshell was too weak to fight back, or even manage more than soft whimpers of agony.

            Reality hit Eagleheart right in the face. “Let her go! Let her go right now!” He sprang at the tom, but Redbriar darted in front of him to block his path. Her fangs were bared in an ear-to-ear grin. He clawed at her and missed. Behind her, Thicket approached, looking amused. When the torbie looked to him, he dipped his head in agreement.

            “Bark, do as you wish,” Redbriar commanded.

            Eagleheart couldn’t do anything to stop it. No matter how hard he fought against Redbriar and her personal guards, Bark continued to beat Rosepetal with sheathed claws, his eyes shining with delight. When he grew tired of that, he started shredding her alive. At one point, Rosepetal started fighting back. She battered feebly at Bark with everything she had in her. She even drew blood at one point, but that only made Bark angrier.

            And still he fought, and still, he couldn’t help her.

            Behind his mate and her sister, Thicket watched.

            It might have been moments, it might have been moons, but when everything was done and quiet, most of the rogues had already left to go back to their daily routines, and Rosepetal laid in a pool of her own blood on the ground. At some point the clouds above had cleared, and now a nearly full moon shone down on the forest below.

            Everything was strangely muted as Eagleheart dragged himself over to Rosepetal. He was bleeding, too, from his sides and belly. It was warm, and his friend’s blood was already cool as he collapsed next to her.

            “Rosepetal,” he croaked.

            No response.

            He reached out and rested a paw on her bloody shoulder. At that, green eyes fluttered open, swollen and weepy with blood and other fluids. A raspy exhale left her mouth.

            “I’m here,” he got out, his throat thick. He couldn’t get enough air. “I’m here, Rosepetal, I’m so sorry, I didn’t fight hard enough-“

            “No…” she breathed. “No. You. You fought good. Real good. Stormstar will be proud.”

 _Stormstar._ “You have to stay awake. We’re gonna get you back to Stormstar, and then you two can talk, and be mates, maybe,” Eagleheart told her frantically. Rosepetal blinked slowly, and then she laughed before coughing up blood.

           “I did love Stormstar. But not for long. She… she’s not meant for me.” Glazed eyes fixed upon the starry sky above.

           “What? But I thought…”

           “I… loved someone else,” she confessed.

           Eagleheart blinked, and then shook his head. “What am I talking about? C’mon, I’ll get Shade, he helped you earlier when you were unconscious.”

           “Shade?” she mumbled.

           He tried to slip under her and get her on his shoulders, but she started wheezing with agony, and they only made it a few steps before they fell. Rosepetal relaxed in the moss, her breathing slowing again.

           It was then he knew. Eagleheart slid down next to her, barely audible sobs wrenching themselves from his throat. He should have never brought her to TideClan. It was his fault she was dying, it was all his fault. He killed her.

           He must have spoken out loud, for Rosepetal touched her nose to his to stop him.

           “No,” she whispered. “I wouldn’t have changed anything. I… this was something I chose, Eagleheart, and I don’t regret any of it. Meeting you… best thing that ever happened to me.”

           The dark tabby stared brokenly at her as he cried softly. A tear made its way out of one of Rosepetal’s eyes as well, but there was nothing but content on her beautifully marked face.

           “Eagleheart?”

           “Y-Yes?”

           “Will I… go to… StarClan?”

           He shuddered and touched his muzzle to her forehead. “Yes. And one day I’ll see you there, and we can walk together again.”

           “… Good.”

           She didn’t speak again after that. They both dozed in and out of consciousness, not caring they were both out in the open. Time ceased to exist.

           It was before dawn when Eagleheart woke, and when he did Rosepetal was gone. Even in the heart of enemy territory, she looked at ease with her eyes closed as if she were sleeping.

           Nobody came to get him as he dragged Rosepetal’s body out of the camp and buried her under some ferns, as far away from there as he could get before he had to stop.

           Nobody stopped him as he cautiously approached the camp again, ears pricked for any sound of a patrol coming to bring him back to his prison.

           Nobody stopped him from leaving. Once he was out of earshot, he broke into a dead sprint, and he didn’t stop until he made it to the clan border. There, he fell face-first into the soil, and finally blacked out.

           


	42. Chapter 42

            He dreamed he was on a beach, a sky full of stars above him, even more than he could see on nights when the moon could not be seen. Familiar swirls of color crossed the sky here and there, so beautiful it took his breath away. Silvery waves rushed in around his paws and crashed gently against the sand before him.

            The spirits on the beach were waiting for him as he climbed out of the water. Slowly, Eagleheart approached them. His hackles never ceased to prickle in terrified fascination every time he dreamt of StarClan, even now as numb anger made his vision narrow and his heart heavy with exhaustion no amount of sleep could cure.

            “Where’s Rosepetal,” he asked them, except it wasn’t a question. He scanned the crowd of dead, glowing cats, looking for a purebred Maine Coon with nearly all-black tortoiseshell fur, but found none. Looking directly at a StarClan cat for too long could lead to a headache, he knew from experience, but he was desperate.

            A couple of silvery tabbies parted to let a familiar tom through. Eagleheart’s ears flattened as Nightstar padded up to him, too worn out to be intimidated by the massive leader’s presence.

            “It always takes time for warriors to find their way here,” Nightstar told him. For the first time since they met, there was no mockery in his tone. When Eagleheart met his gaze, he was shocked to see something that might have been remorse in those chilly sea-colored eyes. “When Rosepetal comes, you will know. She’ll send you a sign.”

            _Why did she have to die?_ Eagleheart wanted to ask, even though he already knew the answer Nightstar would give him. Instead, he settled for “Am I dead?”

            It was a fair question to ask; it was as if all of StarClan had been waiting for him when he woke. But Nightstar just snorted and shook his head. “No, boy, you aren’t dead. Your life is far from over, you should be happy to hear. But an important choice fast approaches, and with it your decision to keep your promise.”

            “My promise? You mean me helping Stormstar stay in power?” Eagleheart asked.

            “No. You helping Stormstar find her destiny.” Nightstar sighed heavily. “For so long I was in denial about what I already knew what would happen. It’s all my fault. I should have never chosen her to succeed me, but it was the only way to bring _you_ to where you are now.”

            Eagleheart was afraid of what the old leader might be referring to, and he didn’t want to talk about it anymore. “What about my gift?’

            “You will know when it’s time. Just be careful.”

            _That’s not an answer!_ he wanted to yowl, but before he could say or do anything else the world of ghosts and stars slipped out from underneath him, and he fell into an unending black abyss.

<> 

            He woke to frantic shouting and a familiar voice begging him to wake up, _please_ just wake up, _come on, Eagleheart!_

            Eagleheart forced his eyelids open and was met with a blurry mess of moving shapes. The scent of herbs made his nose tingle, and he scrunched his muzzle up to drive the smell from his sinuses.

            Rolling over on his back, he then regretted ever waking up as his body made it known that he was very, _very_ sore.

            “Eagleheart!”

            A pair of huge blue eyes stared down at him. The dark tabby stared up at them, trying to remember where he knew those eyes from, when their owner launched himself into his chest. Eagleheart groaned in confusion, instinctively bringing his paws around his company.

            It was his scent that reminded Eagleheart of who it was. “Bluemoon?”

            “I’m here,” the healer sobbed. “Oh, Eagleheart, you’re alive, you’re _okay.”_

            “Yeah… I think.”

            He was in the medicine den, he noted. The plush moss beneath him felt like StarClan themselves had descended from the heavens to pick it out for his worn frame. Shells and various piles of plants littered the cavern. Towards the back was a single petrel flight feather.

            “Shadowstep told us everything. I’m so sorry,” Bluemoon whispered into his chest fur. “I begged for Stormstar to take a battle party there, but-“

            Eagleheart shook his head. “There’s too many, Bluemoon, even more than last time. We can’t lose any more warriors.”

            Bluemoon inhaled, shaky and weak. “I almost charged over there myself, I swear by StarClan. And… Rosepetal… is she…?”

            Pain made it feel like his heart was splitting down the middle. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to banish the horrid memory of digging Rosepetal’s dead body into the hole he  had buried, and then doing everything he could to cover her properly.

            Bluemoon’s face fell, and he cried softly. Eagleheart held him tightly as he wept as well. The dark tabby just wanted everything to stop, to let him go so that he’d stop losing people he cared about. He was just so tired.

            “They beat her to death right in front of me,” he rasped. “And then I waited with her until she died, and it took forever, and when she finally went I wasn’t awake to t-tell her goodbye-“

            “Ssh, shh, it’s okay. You’re going to be okay.”

            “A-And I couldn’t do anything, I wasn’t strong enough-“

            “Eagleheart, shh.”

            It took a long time, but he finally managed to calm himself and fall into a light doze, burying his head in Bluemoon’s fur and savoring his scent. He didn’t know if it was day or night, warm or cool outside, but he did know that he was safe now, and for the moment, that was all that mattered.

            He woke to more voices. Next thing he knew what seemed like the entirety of TideClan was in the medicine den with him, purring so loudly it sounded like the waves against the cliffside. Softstep was kneading his haunches hard enough to bruise, his eyes shut. Stormstar was holding him tightly, her stomach to his back, bawling into his mane. Otterscratch and Fireflower all but tackled him out of his nest in joy. The former rogue Stonepelt expressed his relief and joy at having his deputy back, crouching low in respect. Snowsky did the same, with Ivykit following her example and promptly falling on his face.

            Aukletflight and Spikeclaw climbed over to him, purring, with the rest of the kittens yelling in hoarse excitement as they scrambled all over him. Spottedkit, Dawnkit, and Pinekit, now all so much bigger, shoved their heads against his face as they cried.

            “Oh, I’ve missed you three,” Eagleheart murmured, cuddling them close. “You guys got so big! Pinekit, have you been eating? You’re not fat enough for my liking, mister.”

            “No-o, I’m eating! I’m just skinny like Papa!” Pinekit giggled through his tears.

            “Look, Uncle! My eyes finally changed!” Spottedkit yelled.

            “Mine too!” Dawnkit added, pawing his muzzle.

 _“Really?”_ Eagleheart made them all stay still for a moment so he could examine them, in awe of how much they had grown. Sure enough, Dawnkit had shed her baby blue eyes for a new, dazzling, golden color that seemed almost violet in certain lights. Pinekit’s eyes were now a warm, dark green, not unlike Eagleheart’s. Spottedkit, the oldest of the trio, now had rich brown eyes, the same shade as eagle feathers.

           “You are all so grown up now,” he choked, feeling guilty at missing such an important part of their childhood. “I’m so sorry it took so long to find my way back!”

           “Found your way back, hm?” Fireflower chuckled.

           “Yeah, fatass! Softstep and I had to drag your enormous corpse across the entirety of clan territory!” Otterscratch screeched.

           Eagleheart snorted, but he could no longer find humor at being called a fatass. He just felt kind of empty.

           After he finished his welcome-backs and I’ll-be-okays, he let Bluemoon herd everybody out of the medicine den except Stormstar.

           “I’m just so glad you’re back,” the smoke-colored molly told him, still obviously trying to not start crying all over again. “I was just so worried and tired all the time, and I didn’t know whether you were alive or dead.”

           Eagleheart felt a surge of annoyance at her forgetfulness of Rosepetal. “And Rosepetal, I hope? She’s dead, in case you forgot.”

           Stormstar flinched.

           “Eagleheart,” Bluemoon muttered.

           “No, it’s not okay! She really liked you, Stormstar; she _lived_ for your approval, and you talked to her like what, twice a moon? _Great_ job at being a leader,” he snapped, not really in control of his mouth.

           Stormstar looked like she’d been slapped. Without another word, she hunched in on herself and slunk out of the medicine den.

           “And where the _fresh hell_ is Shadowstep?” Eagleheart shouted after her.

 _“Eagleheart!”_ Bluemoon stared down at him in shock. “What was that?”

           “Sorry I can’t be the nice one anymore, Bluemoon. I think he died a long time ago.” Eagleheart turned away from him, curling up in a tight ball and shoving his head under his paws. “But seriously, where’s Shadowstep?”

           “Stormstar sent him to the twoleg colony to talk to Lola, the house cat? He should be back by tomorrow.”

           “He better be,” Eagleheart grumbled. When Bluemoon said nothing, he closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep.

           He failed, of course, and ended up just staring at the wall for a long time. Finally, when Bluemoon had gone to sleep, he got up and left the medicine den.

           There wasn’t anywhere he wanted to go in particular, nobody he really wanted to talk to. He didn’t even really want to eat. So, he climbed up to the forest and wandered aimlessly (even though he did stick rather close to the shore instead of venturing any further into the trees) and halfheartedly tracked a vole until he lost its scent.

           Eagleheart wondered if he should go find out whether or not Doepaw still didn’t have a mentor, even if he wasn’t all that enthused about training the excitable young molly. Being completely useless wasn’t on his agenda, even if he did feel like he was one of those big rocks in the shallows the waves would always crash up against. Helpless to do anything, beaten down all day and night for endless season cycles, until he was worn down to nothing.

 _Is this how Stormstar feels?_ he wondered, internally cringing at how he had treated her earlier. Then he shook his head, banishing most of the guilt away. _She forgot about Rosepetal. It’ll do her some good to have a painful reminder about how it feels to be left behind._

           Eagleheart realized he had been staring out at the ocean for a long time and turned away. Trying to find that vole scent-trail yielded nothing, and he was just about to give up and return to camp when the hair on the back of his neck stood straight up.

           Immediately he had his claws out and back arched, ready for a fight. He tasted the air and listened intently but found nothing.

           It was only when he started to relax did he see a pair of burning amber eyes staring at him from the shadow of a fern planet.

           Eagleheart yelped and jumped, ready to haul it back to camp, when a familiar, slender figure slipped out from the darkness.

           He almost collapsed in relief. _“Uki!_ StarClan above, you scared me!”

           “Cat friend. An entire moon-blink passed and I did not smell or see you,” Uki told him solemnly. Her voice was monotone as usual, but when she bumped her angular head to his he eagerly accepted her affection. “I feared the worst when my children scented you on the far side of the forest and found the dead body of your comrade.”

           “Rosepetal. The rogues killed her,” he said hoarsely. “Thicket, he just watched…”

           “I met Thicket a few summers ago. He is very unlikable, like a tumor.” Uki hissed a laugh. “I know not how to help you, cat friend. His numbers grow every time I scout his territory. My son nearly met his end when that damned mate of his drove him into a metal-claw.”

           “A metal-claw?”

           “Metal is a fabric humans make. They use it in their dens, their cars, their weapons. Sometimes, a hunter will come to these woods and lay out a claw made of it, and may the gods help any beast that strays into its clutches. They are most dishonorable of any creature,” Uki explained, her eyes narrowing in hate.

           “Is he alright? Perhaps I can get Bluemoon to help him,” Eagleheart volunteered.

           Uki grunted in displeasure. “I’m afraid it’s far too late for that. His leg is gone. But he is strong, and he has learned the fine art of being lame. My own mother had no tail, you see. The boy will live.”

           “That’s good,” Eagleheart said, relief flooding him.

           Uki huffed in agreement and grew even more serious. “The rogues follow your sister now.” It wasn’t a question.

           Eagleheart shook his head. “I can no longer call her family. But yes, they seem to have chosen Redbriar to lead them, with Thicket as her partner. He’s not happy about it, but he refuses to complain in front of his cats, and he knows Redbriar could probably beat him in a fight if she needed to.”

           “But as I said, his reputation is enough so that if he asks a stray or house cat to join him, they will do so. I have seen it happen. Sooner or later, they will be at odds,” the fox told him, sounding almost hopeful.

           Eagleheart ran that over in his mind before slumping down in defeat. “They will, but Redbriar won’t let it get out of control. She’s way too smart for that, even if she is insane. I have no idea what to do about any of this, I just… I just escaped their imprisonment, and I feel nothing but broken.”

           Uki stared down at him, her face impassive. “Then do what anyone who has become broken does. Work around it.”

           “Work around it? What?”

           The vixen yipped in anger, and he jumped. Next thing he knew, Uki was crouched before him, their noses nearly touching. “You speak my tongue, yes? A pine marten I met said you could understand them as well. Use your head, stupid one!”

           Slowly, Eagleheart raised his head from the fallen leaves.

           It took several moments to understand what Uki was implying, but when he did, he all but leapt to his feet. A plan began to form in his mind, straightening out jumbled thoughts and settling his grief and guilt.

           But could he really carry it out? He was just one cat, and a traumatized and strung out one at that. He had gone behind the clan’s back with his relationship with Bluemoon. He had lost his temper with Stormstar and called her a bad leader. He couldn’t even help mentor Doepaw.

           Well, he didn’t really have a choice, did he? It was that or help Stormstar lead TideClan to its doom.

_Nightstar, is this what you were talking about?_

           Eagleheart looked up at his peculiar acquaintance. “Uki, I need a favor of you.”

           He told her his plan.

           The vixen’s eyes were wide when he finished, and for the first time since they met, he saw her ears pin back in wariness. “When I told you to use your head, I meant ask the Lady Aurora for guidance. This is… this is insanity.”

           “Lady Aurora?”

           “The one who rules these lands! She comes only in winter. Surely, you’ve heard of the Snowy Owls, right?”

           Eagleheart decided he wouldn’t tell her about the time he almost attacked one. “Of course I have. But we don’t have all winter. _Please,_ Uki. Help me save my clan.”

           Fiery amber eyes narrowed at him, and she did not speak.

           He feared that she was going to refuse, to just tell him to wait for Lady Aurora, whoever she was, but finally the vixen let out a growl. “I will do the best I can.”

           “Oh, Uki, _thank_ you.” He pressed himself to her chest, exhaling deeply. “You won’t regret this, I promise.”

           Uki groaned in disgust and shoved him away, knocking him back on his ass. “I doubt it, you stupid cat.”


	43. Chapter 43

            Not much happened for the next several moons. Even as he wandered the forest and shore day and night, he didn’t get so much as a whiff of Uki, and he could only hope that she was doing alright.

            He talked to the water birds first. Trying to hold a gull’s attention was like trying to keep water in the cup of his paw, so to ensure their consideration of his offer he climbed the cliffs the water birds called their home. Murres, auklets, and many others he had no name for attacked him viciously until he bled, but he refused to back down until he deemed the growing swarm large enough for his liking.

            Eagleheart found a nest of chicks and sat with his back to them, took a deep breath, and yowled as loud as he possibly could.

            Of course, he got crapped on for that (his fur was positively _dripping_ with poop now), but he held his ground until everybody quieted down enough for him to hear himself talk.

            “I am Eagleheart of TideClan, and I request a few moments of your time!” he shouted, puffing himself up. “What I have to say concerns the safety of your colony!”

            Another explosion of cries filled the air.

            “Who does this fat fuck think he is?”

            “Ain’t he one of those sea-cats? Y’know, the-“

            “What kind of cat can speak Avish? I’m confused-”

            “-Get him off the cliff! Hey, you!”

            Eagleheart waited until they calmed down again before speaking. “I humbly apologize for trespassing into your homes. I would not have done so if my cause was not that of the outmost important, and I beg of you to hear me out!”

            “He’s talking to us, ain’t he? I’m not the only one trippin’. Henne, you hear this furball too, right?”

            “Girl, I do!”

            “Mama!”

            _“Silence!”_ Another voice boomed.

            A large Murre fluttered down to perch before Eagleheart, eyeing him with piercing black eyes. Despite his smaller size compared to the tabby, Eagleheart found himself to be mildly intimidated. This bird was… different.

            “I am Luthe. I will speak for this cliff,” he finally said. His voice was oddly deep and raspy, and Eagleheart could tell he was old. “Tell us what you have to say, cat.”

            Eagleheart almost sighed in relief. “Thank you. I have come to warn you all of another group of cats that have made their home nearby and are planning to evade all the way to the coast. They are many in numbers and have not yet learned to respect other creature of the shore and forest as my clan does, and so they pose a great danger to every single one of you.”

            “What’s the difference between you lot and these other cats? You all are bird-killers, every single last one of you!” Somebody yelled.

            “The difference is that those cats will not show mercy even when a single bird is the _only_ thing left on these cliffs! I’ve seen them tear apart other animals just to taste their blood. When we make our last stand against them, please, join in the fight! Think of your children!” He yowled back.

            There was a stunned silence, and then the cliff erupted with the sounds of arguing birds. He heard words like _bird-killers_ and _chick-maulers_ being thrown around. Luthe, the Murre, stared up at him with a cold, blank look on his face. Or at least Eagleheart thought that’s what it looked like. Bird expressions were hard to decipher.

            Out of nowhere, a gull yelled, “Hey, fluffy! I’ll do it!”

            “Me too!”

“You both are crazy!” An auklet screamed.

            More birds joined in, either offering their support or telling Eagleheart to get the hell of their cliff. Unfortunately, the birds that were in favor of joining the fray were few enough for Eagleheart to count.

            Three. Three birds, plus the two that had yelled at him earlier.

            Luthe glared up at him. “I do not give you my blessings, cat, nor do I support any bird on this cliff who chooses to follow you. Now, leave, or I will peck out your eyes!”

            With a quick bow, he did as he was told, all but skidding down the cliff and tumbling right into the ocean. The salty water stung his paws, but he ignored the pain in favor of paddling right to shore. When he made it to the beach he let the waves wash him up into the sand so he could clean his bleeding paw pads.

            He laid there for a while, letting the chilly water rush up around him until he shivered violently. When his paw pads stopped stinging, the dark tabby rolled over and pushed himself to his feet, shook the water from his fur, and stretched with a groan.

            Just as Eagleheart began trudging up to the forest, a raucous call made him stop and look up. Much to his surprise, he saw a single gull circling overhead, looking down at him.

            The bird made another turn before diving down to meet him. Eagleheart sat up in surprise as it landed in front of him, one fox-length away.

            He stared down at it, blinking rapidly. “I, ah. Hello?”

            “Hello!” the gull said cheerily, shaking out long gray wings. “You’re the cat who can speak to birds!”

            “Um… yes. That’s me.”

            “That’s something I’ve never seen before. But there ain’t enough of us to form a good battle party. What we need to do is talk to the ravens.”

            “The ravens?” Eagleheart repeated, still surprised he was holding a conversation with a _bird,_ of all things. “Can they help us?”

            “If you can convince them to. They’re smart. Smarter than you and me.” The gull eyed him shrewdly.

            “Where can I find them?” he asked.

            “You don’t. They’ll find you.”

            The bird turned and scrambled across the sand, beating its wings and taking off. Eagleheart watched it go before he realized he had forgotten something.

            “Wait, what’s your name?”

            But the gull was already gone.

            With a huff, Eagleheart trotted off and followed the beach to a spot where he could climb up to the forest and make his way back to camp.

            As he walked through the forest, the cool autumn wind slicing through the trees, he kept an eye out for the ravens his gull friend had been talking about.

            Of course, there was none to be found.

            He tilted his head to the sky and shouted “Hey, ravens! I could really use your help right now! Hello? _Please?”_

            No answer except for the usual forest sounds around him.

            Feeling quite stupid, Eagleheart hurried on and hoped to StarClan nobody saw him.

<> 

            The next day, Eagleheart tried to talk to a squirrel.

            As it turned out, squirrels have even fouler mouths than birds. The female he had chased after, begging for her to listen to him, had threatened to take off his balls and make him eat them. And that was the tamest thing he heard from her.

            He decided he would never talk to a squirrel again.

            A little discombobulated, Eagleheart hunted down a lemming (taking great care to not talk to it) and slipped back to camp. He dropped off the little creature, eyeballing the smaller-than-usual prey pile unhappily before decided to visit the nursery.

            The loud squealing of kits greeted him the moment he poked his head inside, and his mood lifted immediately when he saw Spottedkit, Dawnkit, and Pinekit leave Fireflower and Snowsky and charge him.

            “Uncle! Uncle!” they screamed, all but dragging him further back into the nursery. Soon Batkit, Beetlekit, and Sunkit joined, yelling excitedly, and then Aukletflight’s twins and Briarkit. The twin’s names were Nightkit and Smokekit, black mollies who were already developing muscular shoulders and broad heads like their mother. Their brother, Briarkit, was a dark gray-and-white tabby with a smaller build like Shadowstep.

            “Dude, if these demons don’t get apprenticed soon-!” Spikeclaw groaned, looking disheveled and cranky.

            “It was cute when they were little,” Aukletflight agreed. Nightkit and Smokekit turned on her with shrieks of delight and pounced, and Aukletflight yelped in protest as they chewed on her fur and tail. Briarkit giggled from behind them.

            “I wanna get apprenticed! _Now!”_ Spottedkit shouted into Eagleheart’s ear. “Uncle Eagleheart’s going to be my mentor!”

            “No, he’s gonna be mine!” Pinekit protested!

            “Nooo!” Dawnkit batted at her brother. “Nuh-uh! ‘Cause he’s our uncle. Kin can’t mentor kin, ‘cause he might go easy on us.”

            “Very good, Dawnkit!” Eagleheart praised. “I’m very sorry, you three, but I can’t be your mentor. It’s for the best.”

            Spottedkit and Pinekit looked up at him with huge, sorrowful eyes.

            “But I don’t want anybody else for my mentor!” Spottedkit whined. Pinekit nodded and sniffled, wiping his nose with one big paw.

            Eagleheart kissed all of their fluffy foreheads and flopped down so he could cuddle them. “You all will be amazing warriors no matter what. And no matter what, I’ll be there for you, as long as you need me.”

            He shouldn’t have been so surprised that the kits’ sixth moon of life was approaching so quickly, but before he knew it Stormstar had summoned him up to the forest’s edge to talk about who was going to be apprenticed to who.

            The last time the two had really talked Eagleheart had snapped at her for forgetting about Rosepetal, calling her a bad leader, which was already a major sore spot for the black molly. But he was the deputy of TideClan now, and so he sucked up his nervousness and slunk into the medicine den to meet her. As soon as they locked eyes he was quick to bow to her.

            Stormstar huffed in irritation and smacked his shoulder as he stared at the ground. “You’re acting like I’m going to rip your throat out.”

            Slowly, Eagleheart dared to lift his head and meet her gaze. Stormstar looked down at him, blinking once and tilting her head.

            “I’m sorry, Eagleheart,” she told him quietly.

            “Thank you. I apologize for… for what I said.” Eagleheart swallowed. “I shouldn’t have lost my temper like that.”

            “Yeah, you were kind of a bastard. But sometimes that kind of thing just happens,” Stormstar snorted. She bent down to touch her nose to his forehead.

            Eagleheart huffed, his mood lifting at the prospect of continuing to be his leader’s friend. His heart hurt at the thought of just being her second-in-command forever, always hurting whenever he remembered the bond they once had. “I guess it does.”

            She beamed at him, lips lifted in a toothy grin. “So, on to business?”

            “Absolutely.”

            Stormstar gave her chest a few quick licks, and then grimaced as she got caught in her fluffy mane before shaking herself out. “So, because I love you and all deputies should have at least one apprentice before they become leader, I want you to have first pick of who you’d like to mentor.”

            “Wait, really?” Eagleheart’s ears pricked in surprise. “I get to choose?”

            “You sure can.”

            His mind raced. It was unfortunate he could not mentor Spottedkit, Dawnkit, or Pinekit, it really was. If he brought up Redbriar to Stormstar and the fact the three kittens were likely targets to kitnapping she’d let him mentor one of them, he knew, but then again, _he_ was a target as well. He then noted that going against clan law to mentor one of his nieces or his nephew would kill his popularity like winter killed grass. Spreading themselves out could work in their favor. He supposed he’d just have to keep a close eye on them.

            So, who of Spikeclaw’s and Aukletflight’s litters should he choose? Eagleheart adored all of them, especially Nightkit, Aukletflight’s daughter. But she was a little bit too much like the rambunctious Doepaw for his liking. She would need a stronger cat than him to teach her.

            He couldn’t bring himself to want Briarkit as his apprentice either. Perhaps it was because it was like looking at a younger version of his enemy, maybe it was because he was named for the molly he once called his sister, but Eagleheart knew Aukletflight’s son wasn’t a good pick for him, either. Neither was Smokekit, or the terrifying sisters that were Batkit and Beetlekit, Spikeclaw’s daughters.

            An amber-eyed, sunlight-colored ball of fluff popped into his mind’s eye. Sunkit, the strong but reserved kitten who was fiercely protective of his sisters even though he was the youngest of the litter. He was a gentle giant, just like Eagleheart.

            “Sunkit,” he said firmly.

            Stormstar nodded approvingly. “Sounds good to me. I think I’ll take Beetlekit; if Batkit finds out the clan leader is going to be her mentor that huge ego of hers will get even bigger.”

            “That’s true. Otterscratch would be a good teacher for Batkit, provided they don’t kill each other once she gets strong enough,” Eagleheart theorized.

            “Nightkit can go to Thunderstep, Doepaw’s warrior ceremony is tomorrow. Smokekit’s mentor can be Stonepelt. He’s been a strict follower of clan law since the day he got here.” Stormstar nodded to herself. “Briarkit… how about Fireflower? He’s still a bit of a mama’s boy.”

            “Poor Ivykit. He’s going to be all alone in the nursery,” Eagleheart said mournfully. Snowsky’s son was only three moons old and still very tiny.

            “He’ll get a mentor the heartbeat he turns six moons old,” Stormstar promised.

            With that, Stormstar dismissed him to go get some rest, and he bade her a good day. The sun was just past its highest point, hidden behind a few wispy clouds, but it was still enough for the ocean to glitter all the way out to the horizon. He found a spot at the edge of camp and let himself doze, the chilly wind off the sea ruffling his fur.

            The sound of somebody approaching jolted him wide awake. He looked up into the beautiful ocean-colored eyes of Bluemoon, who was staring down at him with a skeptical look on his face. Slender brows were furrowed and hard.

            “Bluemoon,” he gulped.

            “You and Stormstar were just talking about apprentices, I assume?” the healer asked.

            “Uh, yes.”

            “So many future warriors,” Bluemoon murmured, staring out at the ocean. Eagleheart couldn’t tell what he was thinking. “They’ll all be amazing, of course.”

            “They will,” Eagleheart agreed.

            Bluemoon was silent for a long time. Anxiously, the dark tabby waited for him to lay down next to him, to give him a kiss, to do anything that might suggest their strained relationship could go back to what it once was.

            Finally, the Siamese tom sighed. “So many future warriors.”

            Eagleheart blinked, a little concerned. “You already said that.”

            “I did. All these young cats off to train as fighters, to put their lives on the line in the name of TideClan, and only I to help them when they’re wounded.” Bluemoon cleaned one of his front paws, sniffing loftily.

            It took a moment, but finally Eagleheart realized what Bluemoon was going on about. He sprang to his feet with a yelp of horror before bowing an apology.

            “Bluemoon, please forgive me! I never even thought you would _want_ an apprentice, you’re still young and strong, but then again things happen, don’t they? I’m so sorry for being inconsiderate, please don’t think I don’t care about you anymore! I think about you all the time, you’re the tom of my dreams and nothing in this whole world could ever replace you. You are the light of my life and the stars that illuminate the night sky I walk under, the silvery rays of the moon for which you were named after-“

            Eagleheart had pressed his face into Bluemoon’s chest as he rambled, and so he felt it when the healer started to shake. He drew back in alarm, scared that Bluemoon was crying, but was shocked to see a slender paw stuffed into his mouth while he trembled.

            A heartbeat later Bluemoon _exploded_ with laughter.

            “O-oh StarClan, _Eagleheart!_ That was the _sweetest thing ever,_ I-!” Bluemoon covered his mouth with one paw and cackled so loudly his shoulders shook. “I’m not actually _mad,_ by my inbred ancestors, I was just _messing_ with you!”

            Eagleheart gaped down at him. “Y-You-“

            Bluemoon collapsed, howling with laughter. Punching the rock with laughter, he kicked at Eagleheart with his hind legs until the big tabby plopped down on his butt. For a long moment, there was just the sound of Bluemoon’s laughter until Eagleheart regained his senses.

            “Bluemoon! I’ll throw you from this cliff, I swear it!” he squawked, battering at the healer furiously. “Don’t scare me like that ever again!”

            Bluemoon just stuck out his tongue. “Don’t go running off on me and get captured by rogues ever again.”

            “Deal,” he agreed.

            With a purr of amusement, the Siamese tom curled up next to him and twined their tails together. “I won’t be looking for an apprentice until next spring. None of the kits from this season cycle showed any interest in healing, anyway.”

            “I still feel bad,” Eagleheart groaned.

            “You can make it up to me with a walk by the beach tonight,” Bluemoon told him.

            “Sounds perfect.”

            The sound of galloping paws snapped them both out of their little world, and Eagleheart felt Bluemoon quickly untangle their tails. With a pang of regret, he turned to see the evening patrol skid down the trail to camp and disperse, talking quietly amongst themselves. Not five moons ago the cliffside would be ringing with the merry chatter and laughter of TideClan cats as they brought the day or night to a close, but now it was as if nobody dared speak louder than a meow.

            “I better go and organize the dawn patrol before they go to sleep,” Eagleheart told Bluemoon. “I’ll catch up to you when the moon rises.”

            Bluemoon nodded and purred louder to show that he had heard, his eyes drifting shut as he settled into a light doze.


	44. Chapter 44

            After he chose Stonepelt, Softstep, and himself for the dawn patrol, Eagleheart slipped away from the shelter of the cave and headed down to the beach.

            Bluemoon was standing at the ocean’s edge. The moon itself was now just a claw-width width apart, letting the stars shine even brighter without the competition. Eagleheart watched him, entranced at the sight of the slender tom silhouetted in the night. Perhaps StarClan was the most magnificent realm of all, but in Eagleheart’s opinion, it still could not compare to the healer’s mortal beauty. His stomach fluttered.

            “We’re running out of time.”

            He blinked.

            The sudden seriousness of the situation left him stunned. Eagleheart’s mind raced, trying to figure out what Bluemoon was talking about, when the healer turned from the sea to look back at him. Dark blue eyes seemed to glow in the starlight. When he didn’t say anything else, Eagleheart padded down to the water’s edge to join him.

            “What did you say?” the tabby asked.

            Bluemoon shook his head. “Don’t you see, Eagleheart? We have to tell them or they’re going to find out. That evening patrol could have figured it out if they had taken a second glance at us at the cliff’s edge. Anybody could have caught us when we spent the night out in the twoleg colony, or when we slept out in the forest. I even think Otterscratch suspects.”

            “Otterscratch…” Eagleheart spluttered, still reeling. “I-I… he wouldn’t say anything.”

            _“Eagleheart!_ Don’t be stupid! No matter how many people keep it a secret there _will_ eventually be somebody who outs us,” Bluemoon hissed, ears flat against his skull.

            “Well, do you… have any ideas?” he asked feebly. He wasn’t sure what Bluemoon wanted him to do.

            The healer was silent for a long time. When dark blue eyes met Eagleheart’s again, he spoke, and the tabby’s stomach fell out of him at his words. His mouth went dry. All four paws lost feeling.

            “We have to tell them.”

            Eagleheart shook his head, swallowing hard. His heart began to pound furiously as anxiety flooded every hair on his pelt.

            “We must!” Bluemoon insisted harshly. “If we don’t, there’s no telling what could happen. Stormstar’s on her last life, and your time is coming. You _know_ it is.”

            “Don’t say that!” he cried.

            “You know! I know you know!”

            It was their first fight all over again, down by the tide pools, except now it was Eagleheart denying what he knew the future would bring. They had been so young then, he thought miserably. So young and stupid. And really, they still were.

            _If I tell everyone Bluemoon and I are a thing, I’ll be demoted from deputy. I might even get chased out of the clan!_ The very thought of losing his home made him want to vomit. But even worse was what _Bluemoon_ had to lose…

            “Bluemoon, you’ll never be accepted as a true healer ever again,” was what came out. “They’ll hate you. I can’t watch that happen!”

            Bluemoon looked up at him with grief-stricken eyes. His thin tail laid limp in the sand. “My loyalty to my home surpasses my own reputation. I’m a tough clan cat.”

            The idea hit Eagleheart like a bolt of lightning. He stiffened, immediately realizing how selfish he was to propose such a thing. StarClan above, he was such a greedy cat.

            A slender paw poked his chest, and Bluemoon sat back on his haunches. “Hey, that’s your thinking face! You have an idea, don’t you?”

            “No, no, it’s bad.”

            “Eagleheart!”

            “I’m serious, Bluemoon. It’s a horrible idea and my stupid brain should have never brought it up in the first place.”

            “Tell me,” Bluemoon demanded. “That’s an order from your healer.”

            “Did you just pull rank on me?” Eagleheart spluttered.

            “I sure did. Now. Tell me your idea.”

            Eagleheart looked away shamefully. “Well… it’s selfish of me to even want anything like it, but… I was thinking. Once all of this nonsense with the rogues is over and you get an apprentice and train them to become a full medicine cat, maybe we could just… leave.”

            Bluemoon’s eyes widened. “Leave?”

            “Yes. We get up in front of the entire clan and tell them that we’re together, and then we go. If you decided you want to be a house cat, then we’ll find a twoleg who wants us. If you don’t then that’s fine too. I just want to be with you, okay?” the dark tabby blurted out, his throat thick with emotion. His eyes felt wet and hot. “I _love_ you.”

            The other tom was stunned, jaw parted ever so slightly. When he didn’t say anything, Eagleheart turned away, ready to head back up the cliff to get some rest. He felt exhausted, like he had done a dead sprint all the way to the twoleg colony.

            A slight weight crashing down on to his back made him yelp in surprise. “Wha-!”

            His paws slid out from under him, and he felt Bluemoon clinging to him from behind, claws extended and slim body shaking.

            “B-Bluemoon?”

            “You ruin me in the best way possible,” the healer croaked.

            “… Um, is that okay?”

            “Yes. Oh, StarClan, yes. Don’t ever stop.”

            Eagleheart twisted around to look at him. They were both covered in sand and soaking wet from the ocean. He was pretty sure he had never been more in love.

            “I love you too,” Bluemoon got out.

            A blazing fire erupted in the tabby’s heart and burned him alive. Eagleheart let it without any reservations whatsoever, and he laughed.

<> 

            For the first time in several moons, the clan was alit with celebration. It was like a warm spring breeze had swept across the chilly cliffs, lifting jaded hearts and bringing a moment’s reprieve from all the fighting and sadness. The sun shone down from the western sky and lit up the forest and cave.

            Every single warrior, elder, and kit (and of course, healer) was gathered outside, gazes turned up expectantly towards Stormstar. The clan leader was purring so loudly Eagleheart could hear her from all the way in the crowd.

            A loud wave of cheering started up as Aukletflight and Spikeclaw strolled out of the cave, tails held high and pride bursting out of every hair on their pelts. Behind them were the kits, strutting along and taking themselves very seriously. Leading the group was Spottedkit, her striking tortoiseshell fur immaculately groomed.

             “Hi Uncle!” she yelled.

            Everybody chuckled, and Eagleheart waved at her happily.

            The kits marched up to the speaking rock and sat in a crescent around it.

            “We gather today to welcome _nine_ new apprentices into TideClan,” Stormstar began proudly. “Make yourselves comfortable, toms and mollies, because we’re going to be here a while.”

            “No shit,” Blossompelt grumbled. Next to her, the new warriors Thornfang and Doetuft snickered amongst themselves. Eagleheart glared at them and cleared his throat. They locked eyes with him and quickly shut up.

            “Let StarClan bear witness to the naming of these new apprentices. Nightkit, you will now be known as Nightpaw, and your mentor will be Thunderstep. Batkit, you will be known as Batpaw, and your mentor will be Otterscratch…”

            The list went on and on; Smokekit became Smokepaw and went to Stonepelt, Spottedkit, Pinekit, and Dawnkit became Spottedpaw, Pinepaw, and Dawnpaw and received their own mentors as planned. Eagleheart felt like he was going to explode from all of the love and pride inside of him, so intense and warm he couldn’t stop purring loud enough for several cats to shush him. Briarpaw went next, and then Beetlepaw, who squealed in delight when Stormstar announced that she would be her mentor.

            “… Sunkit, until the day you graduate, you will be known as Sunpaw. Your mentor will be Eagleheart,” he heard Stormstar say.

            Eagleheart rose to his feet and padded over to Sunpaw, who stared up at him with pale amber eyes. He could see the nervousness in the young apprentince’s gaze.

            “You did wonderfully,” he promised quietly.

            Sunpaw nodded and went to sit with him under the speaking rock. Batkit and Beetlekit were wriggling with excitement. They tried to catch their brother’s eye, and when they did Sunpaw offered them a small smile before quickly huddling back against Eagleheart.

            The ceremony concluded with a short speech from Stormstar, and the clan dispersed. Eagleheart quickly organized a border patrol and sent them off before turning to Sunpaw.

            “Let’s go for a walk around the territory, okay?” he asked. Sunpaw dipped his head in agreement, and he followed Eagleheart up the trail to the forest.

            It was a brisk, cloudy evening, with wind blowing the leaves around and ruffling their fur. Eagleheart lifted his face to the chilly breeze and looked over to Sunpaw, who was shuffling along and staring at his paws.

            _Tough crowd,_ Eagleheart thought.

            “That was a big evening, wasn’t it?” he asked.

            Sunpaw nodded. “I’m just used to the nursery, sir.”

            They walked for a little while longer before the younger tom spoke up. “When are the rogues gonna attack again?”

            “We don’t know. Hopefully, they’ll hold off until winter is over,” Eagleheart told him. “Not looking forward to the fight, are you?”

            “Yeah. The other apprentices and I are going to be the best warriors in TideClan. We’ll kick all kinds of ass,” Sunpaw claimed boldly, the first spark of fire that Eagleheart had seen from him. The tabby purred in amusement. Sunpaw had a world of potential.

            “Well, how about we get to learning about kicking ass?” Eagleheart suggested.

            Sunpaw looked like he liked that, so after they made a loose loop around the territory Eagleheart set him up in a clearing to start training.

            “Let me see your stance,” he ordered. Sunpaw dropped into a fighting crouch, his mane raised and tail bristling.

            “Stand up a little more, your belly fur is dragging on the ground. If you can feel the ground on your belly, you’re too low.” Eagleheart padded after him and nudged his side so Sunpaw lifted up.

            “Is my tail okay?” he asked.

            “Yes. Now, go ahead and punch me.”

            Eagleheart didn’t think Sunpaw had the strength to actually hurt him yet, but when the apprentice recoiled and struck him in the chest he didn’t have to pretend to be pain as he slid to the ground, wheezing.

            “Oh, StarClan! Are you okay, sir?” Sunpaw gasped.

            The dark tabby coughed and nodded. “You’re strong, boy.”

            Sunpaw’s brows furrowed, for a heartbeat looking almost… unhappy? Then the cold look vanished from his face and he helped Eagleheart to his feet.

            “Let’s try that again,” he told him. Sunpaw crouched again, an intense look of determination on his face and his butt wiggling in the air before lunging again.

            This time, Eagleheart was ready. He reared up and leaned into the attack as Sunpaw smashed into him, and both toms grunted before falling to the forest floor together.

            “Okay, remember to keep at least two of your paws on the ground… there you go! Now pretend to hit me- I said _pretend,_ Sunpaw! Keep your claws sheathed…”

            Their first training session, all in all, went very well. Sunpaw was enthusiastic and determined to be a great fighter, even if he didn’t really know his own strength.

            “Can we go fishing, sir?” he begged, dragging along behind Eagleheart as he led them deeper into the forest. “I’m hungry. Please?”

            Eagleheart was more interested in the large black birds flying around overhead, croaking noisily and making the tree branches quiver as they hopped along them. “Uh, yeah. Hang on, these ravens are doing something weird.”

            “They’re just _ravens,”_ Sunpaw mumbled.

             The dark tabby sat up on his haunches as a trio of the huge birds swirled down to the lowest branches of a nearby hemlock. They bobbed their heads and gurgled quietly to one another, staring at him with tilted heads.

             “Um, sir? They’re… staring at us,” Sunpaw whispered.

             “They are,” Eagleheart agreed. “I’ve been waiting for them.”

             Between them and the ravens, nobody spoke for what seemed like a moon. Was it his mind playing tricks on him, or did the ravens never blink? It was a bit unnerving.

             Finally, the raven in the center hopped forward. “You are Eagleheart?”

             “Yes, that’s me.”

             The raven tilted his head the other way. “If you were named for the heart of an eagle, do you have what it takes to learn to fly?”

Eagleheart stared and blinked, unsure of what he was being asked. “Learn to fly? But I don’t have wings.”

             “Then will you gather the strength to grow them?” the raven asked.

             “Sir, are you… _talking…_ to these birds?” he heard Sunpaw splutter.

             He shushed the pale ginger tom and turned back to the raven. “I suppose I will.”

             “… Good.” The raven lowered their head to stare directly into his eyes. “Madame Uki speaks highly of you. Do not disappoint me or my flock.”

             “Pitch, don’t scare the boy,” the one next to the raven called Pitch rasped.

             The raven on the far left leaned over Pitch to peck at her- or at least Eagleheart thought it was a her. “He deserves to be scared. The fate of the forest rests in his paws, Creek.”

             “I think he knows that already,” she huffed.

Eagleheart swallowed.

             The she-raven dropped down to the forest floor and galloped up to Eagleheart. “I apologize for my mates. They are assholes.”

             “T-That’s alright,” he stammered. “I was just hoping you and your flock would consider helping my clan drive off the rogues.”

             “We will.” It was Pitch who spoke.

             Eagleheart nearly groaned in relief. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

             “… We’ll see.”

             Without another word, the three ravens took off. The rest of the flock, who had been waiting at the treetops, let them take the lead before flying away as well.

             When Eagleheart turned around, Sunpaw was fluffed out has much as he could, looking nearly as big as the dark tabby himself. It was the most pronounced expression he had ever seen on the apprentice.

             “S-Sir? Why d-did you talk to those ravens?” Sunpaw whimpered.

             “Oh, Sunpaw, I didn’t mean to scare you!” Eagleheart trotted over to his apprentice, purring loudly to try and soothe him. “I suppose Spikeclaw never told you, did she? Oh, I’m going to have a talk with her when we get back.”

             “What didn’t Momma tell me?”

             Eagleheart sighed and sat down next to the apprentice. “Oh, poor boy. There are many things that we don’t understand, and probably never will. One of those things just happens to be that I can talk to other animals. StarClan gave me this gift, I believe.”

             “What? But…” Sunpaw trailed off, his mane slowly flattening back down.

             “I know. But destiny works in mysterious ways.” Eagleheart looked to the sky, but unfortunately, the sky had no answers. “But let’s leave destiny alone for now, okay? You must be starving by now.”                                               

 

 


	45. Chapter 45

It was too cold to actually go swimming, as winter would be upon them soon, but Eagleheart confidently brought Sunpaw down to the beach on the peninsula to practice fishing.

            “Watch your step,” Eagleheart warned as he led the way along a trail of rocks jutting up from the sea. The water here was much calmer than by the cliff, which made it perfect for fishing, even if the rocks were a little damp and mossy. Once the tabby jumped down to his favorite rock- the flat one that was a little darker than the others, perfect for absorbing the warmth from sunlight.

            Sunpaw hopped down next to him and crouched, fluffing up his fur against the chilly breeze. He watched the water with a wary glint in his eyes.

            “Where does it end?” he asked.

            “Hm?”

            “The ocean. Where does it end?”

            Eagleheart looked up to the horizon, where the setting sun painted fire across the sky. There was absolutely no sign of how far away it really was. Then, he looked down to the sparkling sea, blinding and infinite. How deep was it?

            “I don’t know. I don’t know if anybody does,” he replied.

            Sunpaw said nothing, but he nodded.

            “Now, the single most important thing about fishing is patience,” Eagleheart began. “Fish don’t care how hungry you are or how late it is. They do care, however, about you catching them. So, yes, be patient, and be quick. Fish have reflexes almost as good as ours.”

            “How do you know we have better reflexes?” Sunpaw asked.

            “Well, we can catch them, can’t we?”

            “Oh.”

            Eagleheart laughed. “Alright, now watch closely.”

            He reached down, claws extended, until a salmon swam lazily almost directly underneath his paw. Eagleheart twisted the paw back and struck in the space of a heartbeat.

            The salmon went flying and got promptly snapped up in Eagleheart’s jaws. He bit down hard, crushing its skull, and dropped it on the rock.

            Sunpaw perked up and leaned down to bite at it, but Eagleheart swatted him away. “Not for you, clunk-paws! You have to catch your own.”

            The pale-furred tom huffed but turned back to the ocean. He wiggled forward, reaching down with a paw still too large for the rest of him. His brows furrowed with concentration.

            Eagleheart watched him curiously. Sunpaw looked nothing like his mother; huge and tall with an impressive pelt the color of snowy sunshine, the same luxurious fur he was named for.

            _What does your father look like? You must look just like him, if you look nothing like Spikeclaw,_ the dark tabby thought.

            Sunpaw slashed at the ocean, and only got a bunch of water splashed back into his face. He grunted angrily before shaking himself off and settling back down at the rock’s edge. This time he waited even longer, posed resolutely with one paw brushing the water’s surface.

            Just as the sun disappeared completely below the horizon, the younger tom hit at something with another splash, making a fish leap up into the air in a panic and then grabbed at it with his teeth. Unfortunately, in his haste, Sunpaw had leaned out too far over the edge. Eagleheart barely had time to yelp in horror before the poor boy went head over fluffy ass into the sea. He dove in after Sunpaw, squeaking from the cold, and grabbed him by the scruff before dragging him back towards the rock. The tabby scrabbled frantically at it and shoved Sunpaw up on to it. In doing so, he sacrificed his leverage, and he went under from the force of pushing Sunpaw up to safety.

            In the end, it was the fact that he was fat that saved him. He bobbed to the surface and gasped for air. The rock was already a few fox-lengths away, and Eagleheart paddled towards it frantically with a strength saved for times when he knew he was about to be screwed. Finally, he dragged himself up next to Sunpaw and laid there, wheezing and shivering.

            The sound of little bones crunching made Eagleheart look over in confusion. To his amazement, Sunpaw was eating his fish. The pale ginger tom was purring quietly, even as he shivered just as violently as Eagleheart was.

            “W-What are y-you doin-ng?” he got out.

            “I-I’m hungry,” Sunpaw mumbled. Then he gobbled down the stomach of the fish, licking his lips with relish, and continued eating until the bones shone.

            Eagleheart would have been impressed if he wasn’t on his way to developing the freezing-shakes. He got up and shook himself off, picked up his fish, and motioned for Sunpaw to follow him back to shore.

            The journey back was miserable. Eagleheart thanked StarClan that Sunpaw wasn’t the kind to complain, else he might have smacked the apprentice upside the head. When they got back to the cave, all the other apprentices with their mentors were there, talking enthusiastically with their parents and friends. Spikeclaw, Beetlepaw, and Batpaw were chattering happily to each other, Aukletflight and her trio not too far away.

            Eagleheart knew he would never get used to how such a rough and callous cat like Spikeclaw would be such a sweetheart to her children. The black molly was beaming down at her daughters as they babbled over each other in their excitement to impress their mother with tales of their first day out of camp. When Spikeclaw saw Sunpaw, still soaking wet and trembling from the cold she yelled and galloped over to them.

            “Eagleheart, you bastard, you took him _swimming?”_ she screeched.

            “Nope. He fell in when we were fishing,” Eagleheart replied with a squeak, leaning back slightly in an effort to escape the queen’s wrath. “I pulled him out.”

            “You were _fishing?_ It’s frickin’ _freezing,”_ Spikeclaw hissed.

            “Mama, it’s not that cold,” Sunpaw groaned. “You don’t have nice, thick fur like we do.”

            “You’re shivering,” was all Spikeclaw growled before yanking him close and grooming him with rough licks. Sunpaw squirmed and pawed at his mother, but Eagleheart could tell he really didn’t mind; if he wanted to get away he could have easily.

            The other warriors laughed at that, and then at Eagleheart when everybody realized he too was soggy. He let them tease him, bump their shoulders against his good-naturedly before he disentangled himself from the group and made his way over to his nieces and nephew.

            Dawnpaw was already passed out between Fireflower’s front paws, just absolutely dead to the world with her legs splayed everywhere and drooling contently on one of the queen’s toes. Pinepaw was wrestling with Spottedpaw nearby and using his larger size to squash her. When they saw Eagleheart they immediately stopped in their antics and scrambled over to him.

            “Uncle, today I learned how to flip!” Spottedpaw announced proudly. “Spikeclaw said I was a natural.”

            “That’s great, Spottedpaw! What about you, Pinepaw?” the tabby asked.

            Pinepaw drew himself up proudly. “Aukletflight and I went hunting, and I _almost_ caught a squirrel. I was so close, but then it went up a tree and I don’t know how to climb so I had to leave it alone.”

            “Good job. Squirrels are very tricky. You should get Stone-eye to tell you the story of how one got one of his back toes!” Eagleheart chuckled at the memory. It had been Blossompelt who explained the part where Stone-eye screamed like a kitten when the critter latched on to his foot. Then he had jumped all around before running back to the cave, the squirrel hanging on for dear life, and passed out right in front of Petrelswoop and Nightstar. Petrelswoop, completely unfazed, leaned down and bit what remained of Stone-eye’s toe clean off his paw.

            _“That’s_ why he walks funny sometimes,” Spottedpaw exclaimed.

            “Shh, don’t be rude,” Eagleheart scolded lightly as he herded them towards the apprentices’ den. “Good warriors aren’t rude to their elders!”

            “Sorry!”

<> 

            Something that Foggywave had told him once had stuck with him, even though the elder himself had long since passed away. It went something like “Most of battle is simply waiting, boy. Those without patience tend to lose the war.”

            Eagleheart considered himself patient, if not just because lots of cats had told him he was. But even the past praise of his clanmates couldn’t keep the rising frustration from making the fur on his pelt bristle.

            “No, Sunpaw! You cannot drag your feet when you’re hunting!” he exclaimed as his distant-minded apprentice stumbled over a fallen branch. “You would have just lost the prey.”

            Sunpaw sighed and went back to the starting point- a small rock, and began stalking again. The goal was for him to make it across the entire clearing without making any noise. He hadn’t succeeded yet, and the moon was already almost at its highest point.

            The apprentices had been training for a moon by then, and Eagleheart was getting absolutely nowhere with his own charge. The other apprentices were already _moons_ ahead of him. Sure, Sunpaw could catch a fish every now and then, and he was amazingly strong for somebody so young, but other than that the younger tom didn’t seem to care about anything other than his sisters. Even Spikeclaw didn’t seem to warrant much of his attention, which made him angrier than he cared to admit.

            “Keep your tail up! Like this.” Eagleheart glided across the clearing without a sound.

            Sunpaw watched him and said nothing when he was done. He dropped into a crouch once more and stalked over to a nearby tree. A little better, but his bulk swayed back and forth with every step and Eagleheart knew the movement would scare any creature with half a brain. The tabby could relate, though; he wasn’t exactly daintily built either.

            “Alright, alright. How about we go over some battle training?” Eagleheart asked. He hoped that some fighting would get Sunpaw’s motivation levels up.

            Sunpaw’s ears pricked at that, and he trotted over to Eagleheart. They both assumed a fighting stance, and then lunged at each other.

            They went head-over-tail around the clearing for a while, Eagleheart alternatively offering words of encouragement or criticizing him. The criticism came more often than the praise, much to the dark tabby’s disappointment. The apprentice had absolutely no form or effort to speak of.

            Still, Sunpaw didn’t seem to care. When they finally stopped, the pale ginger tom simply cocked up a leg and started grooming himself.

            Eagleheart hissed angrily. “Do you not care about anything besides yourself and your sisters? You should be ashamed of yourself!”

            The young tom stopped grooming himself.

            “I’ve tried working with you. I’ve tried letting you do your own thing to see if you just needed to teach yourself. I even asked Spikeclaw if she thought you had a mental disability!” Eagleheart cried out in exasperation.

            “You asked her what?” Sunpaw spluttered, but Eagleheart wasn’t done yet.

            “Listen to me, boy. If you don’t shape up and start putting in some actual effort, I’ll have Stormstar hold you back from becoming a warrior. All your siblings and friends will graduate without you,” he growled.

            Amber eyes narrowed.

            “Don’t think I won’t. TideClan doesn’t have time for liabilities,” Eagleheart concluded. With a huff, he turned and stormed back towards camp. Maybe he could get more done by going on patrol… if he hurried, he could catch Stormstar’s group on their way out. He’d just have to try again with Sunpaw tomorrow-

            A heavy weight hit between his shoulder blades before he could finish that thought, and Eagleheart got the wind knocked out of him as he crashed to the ground. With a snarl, he turned on his attacker and came face-to-face with none other than Sunpaw himself.

            Sharp white fangs were bared in rage, and Sunpaw had one paw raised to strike, claws out and glinting in the moonlight. Without thinking, Eagleheart kicked hard into his stomach and knocked the smaller tom off him. With a _thump,_ Sunpaw hit the dirt on his back and squealed angrily before flipping to his feet and arching his back.

            Eagleheart did the same, a low yowl of disgust rising up from his throat. Who did this brat think he is, attacking his _mentor?!_ Whatever had attracted the tabby to Sunpaw must have been the result of a bad fish!

            Sunpaw lunged. His claws were outstretched as far as they could go. Eagleheart reared up and caught the apprentice as he came down and let him bowl the dark tabby right over. Grunting, he fastened his teeth into Sunpaw’s nape and flung him into the nearby pine. It wasn’t hard enough to seriously hurt the apprentice, and Sunpaw hit the ground running. With a hiss, Eagleheart met the attack head on. He ended up butting hard into Sunpaw’s chest and slamming him backwards.

            Sunpaw got his head slammed back against the ground, hard. He groaned, grimacing, still pushing back against Eagleheart’s with thorn-sharp claws. Unfortunately for the apprentice, Eagleheart’s thick adult fur was more than enough to protect him from scratches.

            _“Are we done?”_ he spat.

            “No!”

            It was the loudest he’d heard Sunpaw speak, or rather, yowl. With a mighty heave, the apprentice tried to get out from underneath them and nearly succeeded. Eagleheart cuffed Sunpaw hard upside the head.

            Sunpaw struggled until he was utterly spent. He gasped for breath before slumping to the ground, and finally stopped clawing at Eagleheart.

            “Are we done?” he asked again.

            His apprentice gulped down air. At first, Eagleheart thought Sunpaw was gearing up for another round, but then he did something that shocked the dark tabby even more.

            Sunpaw broke down sobbing.

            Eagleheart gaped in utter surprise as the young cat curled up in a tight ball underneath him, trembling and weeping. For several long moments, that was all Sunpaw seemed capable of doing. His claws were still out.

            Without warning, Sunpaw bolted and fled into the night.

           


	46. Chapter 46

_“Sunpaw!”_

            Eagleheart pelted after his apprentice, fear boiling up in his gut at the thought of him getting lost in the sprawling forest, or even worse- accidentally straying out of clan territory and into the claws of the rogues.

            The sounds of the night all around him masked the sound of Sunpaw’s feet hitting the Earth as he sprinted at full tilt away from Eagleheart, and soon the tabby was left with nothing but the scent trail to follow. In his haste he almost lost it several times, and every time he did he cried out for Sunpaw until he finally picked up the apprentice’s still kitten-like smell.

            He almost missed Sunpaw’s hiding spot as he passed it. The pale ginger apprentice was crouched down in a ball under a bush with his head tucked between his large paws, shaking and sniffling. Sunpaw, always so tough and stoic, was now a mess and Eagleheart had absolutely no idea why or how to help fix it.

            Slowly, he lowered himself down beside the entrance. When Sunpaw gave no sign of either acknowledgement or hostility, he tucked his paws underneath him and prepared to wait. Within a few moments his eyes slid shut and he settled into a light doze.  

            It wasn’t long before he heard the sound of shuffling underneath the bush. He cracked open an eye and saw Sunpaw peeking out at him from the shadows.

            The poor kit was obviously exhausted, he could tell that much. Pale ginger fur was bedraggled and speckled with leaves and dirt. Tufted ears were flat against Sunpaw’s head and twitched at the slightest sound. Eagleheart wiggled forward a little, hoping anything he said wouldn’t set off Sunpaw off again.

            But it was Sunpaw who broke the silence. “Nobody understands.”

            “What doesn’t anybody understand?” Eagleheart prodded. “We can’t help you if you don’t tell us what’s wrong.”

            A loud sniff came from the pile of fur. He could see amber eyes peering out at him, clearly disbelieving his previous statement.

            Eagleheart sighed. “I know it seems like we adults have it all together, but believe me, we really don’t. Some of the things I’ve done… the things I’m _still_ doing, kind of suck. But the only thing we can really do is keep moving forward and hope for the best. That’s just how it is.”

            The sound of fur dragging over leaves announced Sunpaw finally wriggling his way out of his hiding spot. He remained huddled by the entrance, though, not meeting Eagleheart’s gaze and shredding the dirt with his claws. Eagleheart took the unspoken cue to continue.

            “Did something happen that I don’t know about, Sunpaw? Because if something did happen that made you sad or uncomfortable, you know I’ll always be here for you,” the dark tabby told him quietly.

            Sunpaw stared at his front paws. “Momma says I’m making it up. It’s stupid.”

            “Well, I’m not a parent, but I’ll do my best to give you a second opinion.”

            Sunpaw swallowed, and the hackles on those broad shoulders bristled in fear. Narrowed eyes squeezed shut.

            “I’m a molly.”

            At first, it didn’t register. Eagleheart blinked, his mind buzzing, and then the realization hit him like a splash of cold seawater.

            “You… _really?_ Wait, no, of _course_ you are!” He sprung to his feet. “That’s why you haven’t been happy, isn’t it? You’re _female!”_

            Sunpaw had puffed up nervously when Eagleheart had started yelling but relaxed a little when the bigger warrior finished his exclamation. “You… you believe me?”

            “Of course I do! I know a couple of transgender cats, one of which is in our clan. I just hadn’t figured out that if mollies can be toms, toms can also be mollies! Or mollies _and_ toms, or maybe even neither one…” Eagleheart frowned, trying to wrap his head around all of that. Great StarClan, people sure were complicated.

            “Transgender?” Sunpaw asked, still wide-eyed.

            “Yes. It means ‘from one gender to another’. We have to get you to Otterscratch, he can help you.” Eagleheart started to pace. He should probably talk to Stormstar, too; if Sunpaw wanted everybody to know then arrangements needed to be made.

            Sunpaw leapt to his- no, _her_ feet. _“Otterscratch?_ He’s… transgender?”

            “He is! His mother thought he was a molly at birth, but he actually turned out to be a tom. Your mother th…”

            The words froze in Eagleheart’s mouth. Something Sunpaw had said came back to him in full force, and suddenly everything made sense.

            “Sunpaw,” he said softly. “I’m going to need to have a word with your mother.”

<> 

            First things first: Otterscratch.

            He and Batpaw were in the middle of beating each other to a pulp when Eagleheart found him down by the beach. Both him and his apprentice were sandy, wet, and laughing like it was the greatest fun both of them ever had. For a moment, Eagleheart was jealous, and he hoped that he and Sunpaw could soon have a fun relationship like that.

            “Otterscratch? A moment of your time?” Eagleheart called out.

            Otterscratch and Batpaw collapsed into a heap before disentangling. The pair trotted up to him and Sunpaw, tails held high and eyes twinkling in the moonlight.

            “Eagleheart! Finally ready to learn some awesome fighting moves just like Batpaw here?” the black tabby boasted, flexing his wickedly sharp claws.

            “Maybe later.” Eagleheart felt his whiskers twitch in amusement. “Can we speak to you for a heartbeat? It’s important.”

            Otterscratch’s brows furrowed. “Of course. Batpaw, piss off.”

            The skinny black molly opened her mouth to argue but thought better of it and scuttled off to chase a pair of crabs.

            “What’s up?” Otterscratch asked, shaking himself off and spraying sand and water droplets everywhere.

            Eagleheart led him and Sunpaw up the beach and let his apprentice explain everything.

            By the time Sunpaw got to the part where she told Eagleheart, Otterscratch was shaking with anger. His teeth were bared, and he paced back and forth with stiff legs. A low, continuous growled reverberated from the tom’s throat.

            “I’m gonna kick her _ass!”_ he snarled once Sunpaw had finished.

            “Please don’t. We’re just going to talk to her,” Eagleheart said, trying to sooth his friend. “You’re the proof Spikeclaw needs to see that cats like you and Sunpaw are really telling the truth about who you are. She grew up sheltered under Thicket; who knows what he let her learn before she and Shadowstep left?”

            Otterscratch just snorted. “Hey, you’re the deputy.”

            Sunpaw didn’t look as confident. She almost looked… scared. “I don’t wanna make my mother mad. What if she doesn’t like me?”

            “Hey.” Ottersratch looked her right in the eye, his expression softer than Eagleheart had ever seen. “You’re her _child._ If Spikeclaw can’t handle the fact that you’re a molly, then she doesn’t deserve you, alright? Eagleheart and I will be right behind you.”

            The apprentice considered that, and then dipped her head in agreement. “Thank you. Both of you, just… thank you.”

            Eagleheart sniffled and shoved his head against hers. Sunpaw squeaked in surprise. “I’m so glad you’re not actually an asshole. I’m way too sensitive for that.”

            “What about me?” Otterscratch demanded.

            “You’re just a pain.”

            “Oh, come on!”

            Despite the good mood the three of them started out with, Sunpaw was visibly unnerved by the time they found Spikeclaw. The black queen and Spottedpaw were stalking something in the bramble, with Spikeclaw hanging back and watching her apprentice. Both of them were deadly silent, ears pricked and tails low to the ground.

            Without warning, Spottedpaw surged forward. Something squealed in the tangle of brush his niece had darted into. Leaves got kicked up into the air, Spottedpaw cussed (Eagleheart didn’t have to wonder where she picked that up from) and then the tortoiseshell pranced out from the shadows with a chipmunk in her mouth.

            For a moment Eagleheart forgot why they were there and galloped over to her. He felt like he would explode with pride. _“Spottedpaw!_ Excellent catch!”

            “Thankth!” she yelled happily, her voice muffled by the critter in her mouth.

            “Yo, that’s my job!” Spikeclaw complained, trotting towards them. “Go praise your own apprentice. Sunpaw, you haven’t been distracting your deputy, have you?”

            Sunpaw quickly shook her head. It was then Eagleheart remembered their purpose, and he cleared his throat. “Spikeclaw, if we could have a bit your time?”

            “Whatever happened, it wasn’t my fault.”

            “Mm-hm.”

            Eagleheart led Spikeclaw, Sunpaw, and Otterscratch to a nearby pine tree while Spottedpaw wandered off to go hunt some more. He braced himself, cleared his throat once more, and met Spikeclaw’s yellow-green gaze.

            “Sunpaw told me something that I found rather… alarming,” he said calmly. “She told you she’s a molly, yes?”

            “Oh, _that!_ Eagleheart, please tell my son that’s impossible. You can’t just… change genders,” Spikeclaw explained flippantly.

            Otterscratch bristled, but Eagleheart replied first. “I’m afraid you don’t understand. What Sunpaw is going through is a very legitimate thing.”

            Spikeclaw snorted. “For real? C’mon, guys.”

            “It’s true,” he insisted.

            Unfortunately, Otterscratch had already run out of patience. He rose to his feet and stormed towards Spikeclaw before shoving his face right into hers.

            “You think this is a _joke?_ She’s not lying, Spikeclaw! Sunpaw is transgender, and she’s a molly. I know she’s telling the truth,” he insisted with an angry hiss.

            “Really? Prove it.” She gave the black tabby an exasperated look.

            “Look, nobody knows how or why it happens. It’s kind of how like some cats like other cats of the same sex or even both of them,” Eagleheart explained. “But that’s not important. The thing is we respect people that are different from us.”

            “Whoa whoa whoa! You’re telling me… toms can like _toms,_ and…” Spikeclaw’s mind had apparently been blown. She sat back and stared into empty space.

            “Yes,” Eagleheart told her.

            The black warrior shook her head, still laughing. “Noooo. No way!”

            Eagleheart sighed. “I’m one of those cats. I like toms, not mollies. Otterscratch?”

            “I was born a molly, but I’m actually a tom. And if you can’t get that through your thick skull I’ll beat you to a pulp!” Ottescratch snapped.

            Spikeclaw just gaped at them.

            From the back, a quieter voice spoke up. “I don’t understand it either, Momma. But I’m a molly, sure as the sky is blue.”

            Sunpaw had been so quiet Eagleheart had almost forgotten she was there. The three warriors turned to the big pale molly, who somehow seemed small in her anxiety. She looked up at them through her lashes, looking tired and regretful, like she knew this conversation would turn out badly.

            The humor had gone from Spikeclaw’s expression.

            Eagleheart moved to sit down next to Sunpaw, and Otterscratch did the same on her other side. He felt a surge of protectiveness over the young apprentice. Deep down, he knew this conversation had been doomed from the start, but he just couldn’t bring himself to totally accept it. Spikeclaw was his _friend!_ She couldn’t just turn on him like this!

            “Won’t you tell your kit that you love her?” he demanded. “What is _wrong_ with you? So what if she isn’t who you thought she was, she’s your _family.”_

            “… I…” was all Spikeclaw got out. She blinked at Sunpaw, who had hunched in even further on herself, before looking back to Eagleheart and a sneering Otterscratch. “I don’t want _any_ part of this.”

            She turned and marched away, barking for Spottedpaw to follow her. Spottedpaw gave Eagleheart a look of confusion before following her mentor.

            “Fine!” Eagleheart snarled after her. “But this is _my_ daughter now, alright?! My child! Go jump off the cliff!”

            “You don’t have to,” Sunpaw mumbled, shoving against Eagleheart. He didn’t miss the breaking in her voice, though, and he curled his tail around her as if he could shield her from all of the judgement the world had to offer.

            “Hmph,” Otterscratch grunted, still obviously itching for a fight. “She doesn’t deserve you. If she can’t accept you, then that’s her fault.”

            Eagleheart could tell Sunpaw was on the verge of breaking down, so he decided to call it a night. “Let’s go get some rest, okay?”

            Sunpaw dipped her head in agreement, and the three of them headed back for the cave.

<> 

            “I am Sunpaw, and I am not a tom. I’m a molly, and from now on I would like you all to address me as such!”

            Eagleheart stared up at the speaking rock in amazement. He had woken from a restless sleep by the sound of a crowd gathering outside, and when he had gone to see what was going on, none other than Sunpaw was up where Stormstar would address TideClan. Beside her was Otterscratch with his head held high.

            “Holy crap, Eagleheart! Otterscratch and Sunpaw just told everybody they used to be, like, not the same gender or something!” Aukletflight exclaimed to him.

            “Yeah.” He shrugged. Bluemoon had appeared as Doetuft and Thunderstep shifted apart from each other towards the front of the crowd. The healer’s pretty head was cocked up to the cats on the rock, and the dark tabby couldn’t tell for the life of him what Bluemoon was thinking. Maybe they could meet again tonight…

            She whirled on him. “Wait, you knew?!”

            “Sure,” he said with a yawn. Then, he realized that his apprentice was up there, his apprentice who _had just announced to the whole clan who she was._

            Eagleheart was suddenly wide awake and sprinting for the speaking rock. _“Sunpaw!_ Oh, my StarClan, that was the bravest thing I’ve ever seen!”

            “And me!” Otterscratch squawked crossly.

            “Yes, you too,” he agreed. “Now please get down before Stormstar puts you on dawn patrol for the next moon.”

            “As if!” a familiar voice laughed. Everybody turned to see Stormstar herself trot down the cliffside trail, golden eyes warm in the morning sunlight.

            Otterscratch and Sunpaw quickly scrambled to the ground, but the clan leader was having none of it.

            “That was very impressive, the both of you. Unfortunately, we have fresh rogue scent on our borders, and I need a group with me to investigate and another to patrol every pawstep around the territory,” she announced.

            When Stormstar’s eyes met his he remembered that organizing patrols was now his job as well, because he was the deputy. Yep.

            He cleared his throat. “Stonepelt, Otterscratch, Softstep, with me. Thunderstep, Aukletflight, Spikeclaw, Lightningstripe, Oceansong, and Fireflower, you’re on border watch. Everybody else needs to remain on guard and be ready for a fight. Warriors with an apprentice, bring them with. Let’s go, TideClan!”

            The cliff was suddenly alive with action. The border patrol and their apprentices quickly converged and headed up to the forest. Eagleheart rounded up Sunpaw and fell into pace beside Stormstar, who looked tense.

            “It’s everywhere. They’re not even trying to be subtle now,” she muttered.

            Eagleheart wondered if Redbriar was behind the group who had done the deed. Her brilliant mind had been taken by madness, or at least she was a fart away from it. His soul hurt at the thought of the queen he used to call his family.

            _Please, StarClan, let there be no battles today. Don’t make the children have to fight their mother._

            Behind him was Softstep, and when Eagleheart glanced behind him to make sure everybody was keeping up with the swift pace, he could tell his nieces’ and nephew’s father was thinking the same thing.

            By the time they reached the spot where the rogues had left their scent it had begun to rain. Dark thunderheads covered the sky, the last great storm of the season, Eagleheart presumed. The moisture kept scents well for the time being, and he picked up on the now-familiar odor of Thicket’s rogues well before Stormstar led them to the exact location.

            “Yeesh, did they have an orgy here or what? It stinks!” Otterscratch snorted.

            “Otterscratch, not in front of the apprentices!” Softstep growled at him.

            “Well, it’s true,” Batpaw piped up.

            “What? You’re too young to know anything about that stuff!”

            Eagleheart groaned and dragged his paws down his face. “Can we focus, please? Stonepelt and Softstep, circle the area. Beetlepaw, what are you doing over there?”

            “There’s a mutilated rabbit over here!”

            “What?” Eagleheart trotted over, surprised. What kind of animal tore up its prey and didn’t eat it? Winter was coming, and meat-eaters everywhere were losing their minds trying to get fat for the cold weather.

            As it turned out, that wasn’t the case. Cat scent was on it, especially around its throat, which had been torn clean out. Blood splattered the forest floor. It couldn’t have been more than half a day old.

            Memories flashed back like a terrible dream. Rescuing the kits from the rogues. The chase back to camp. Finding Stormstar in her den, her neck bloody and ruined…

            “Redbriar. She’s mocking us,” he got out.

            Stormstar saw the rabbit and flinched back. Her back arched and bristled. “I would ask you if you really thought if she was capable of doing something like this, but I already know the answer. Should we-“

            “Should you all surrender? Absolutely.”

            Both he and Stormstar jumped and whipped around. Padding her way out of the rainy shadows was Redbriar, her muzzle and claws dark with blood.

           


	47. Chapter 47

            The first thing that happened was Beetlepaw and Batpaw hissing at an almost deafening pitch. Sunpaw put herself in front of her sisters, huge and threatening. Everybody else tightened together, claws unsheathed and ready to fight.

            Redbriar’s amber eyes widened a little. “All of this for me? I’m flattered.”

            “Who did you hurt?” Stormstar snapped. “Your muzzle is covered in blood!”

            “Well, he’s not hurting anymore. That Stonepelt fellow should be on his way to StarClan by now.”

            Otterscratch screeched and tried to lunge at the torbie, but Batpaw held him back. A sick sensation filled Eagleheart, and he wanted to vomit at the thought of Stonepelt dying or dead somewhere in the forest. They hadn’t talked a whole much, but the former rogue had been a good cat, fiercely loyal to his new home.

            Oh, StarClan, what about Softstep? Had he gotten away in one piece?

            _“Where is my brother?”_ Otterscratch was yelling. “Where is he?!”

            “I didn’t see Softstep. That bastard sure is fast for a cat with a useless back leg,” Redbriar remarked.

            “You _bitch,_ I’m going to-!”

            Eagleheart hissed, and the black tabby tom felt silent. He turned to Redbriar. “What do you want?”

            “I want my children.”

            The reply was swiftly delivered, shocking, but completely expected. Eagleheart flattened his ears in anger.

            “You know that will never happen. You gave up your right to them several moons ago.”

            “You’d really deny them their mother?” she snarled.

            “I would, and I will.”

            Redbriar turned to Stormstar. “You’re the clan leader. Order him to give them to me!”

            “Never.” Stormstar’s answer was nothing more than a whisper. “You’ll never hurt any of my clanmates again. Get her!”

            The patrol surged forward the heartbeat their leader gave the order. Redbriar turned tail and bolted, and it was on.

            He hadn’t noticed it at first, but he soon realized that Redbriar looked a little bigger than she had been when they had last met. She was still growing, he realized. He worried that she would be soon strong enough to take him on, but then he remembered that he must be growing as well. They wouldn’t be done for several season cycles yet.

            Even though he was bigger, Redbriar’s legs were longer, and she began to put on distance between herself and the patrol. Rain poured down around them and soaked into their fur. Batpaw was yelling herself hoarse, and just as she took another breath to yell some more they all ran into the ambush.

            Eagleheart got the wind knocked out of him as another tabby slammed into his flank. He snarled and flipped the rogue right off him, only for two more to replace him. The forest became alive with the sounds of screeching and wailing, the rip of flesh under claws, and then the thunder as the storm fully broke.

            At some point Softstep joined the fight, and he went right for Redbriar. The golden tom was out for blood, and by StarClan he was going to get some or die trying. He and his former mate rolled over and over in the leaves and mud, their screeches occasionally muted out by the rolling thunder overhead. Batpaw and Beetlepaw fought side by side with Sunpaw, the sisters using their combined strength to send a tom much bigger than all of them screaming into the trees. Fur flew everywhere and fell to the Earth like drifting snowflakes.

            A small calico made the mistake of chomping down on his leg. Eagleheart turned on her with a vicious snarl, and she sprung away in terror with her tail bushed in fright. Her eyes were wide with fright, and he realized that she wasn’t just small- she was a _kitten._

            _“Redbriar!_ You send children to fight for you?” he bellowed.

            The torbie hissed at him from underneath Softstep but said nothing.

            “Get out of here, kit!” he ordered. The calico wasted no time in running away, kicking off so fast leaves went everywhere.

            She didn’t get far. The moment she made it past a hemlock that must have been there when the world itself was born a large gray paw shot out and snagged her, long claws digging into multicolored fur. The calico squealed in shock as she was thrown to the dirt, smudges of brown smearing across white fur.

            Thicket stepped out from behind the hemlock, still holding the calico down like she weighed as much as a mouse. His teeth were bared in anger, fur bristling like pine needles. Batpaw thundered toward him, came to a screeching stop when she realized she was outmatched, and wisely backed away.

            And yet, something was _off_ about Thicket. His once thick pelt was spiky and unkept. He had clearly lost weight, and the glint of determination was no longer there in those pale green eyes. The white that frosted his muzzle made him look like he had aged many season cycles.

            All of the sudden, the calico he had trapped surged up and broke free of his grasp before fleeing into the forest. Thicket lost his balance and collapsed.

            Before he even knew what he was doing Eagleheart had galloped over to him. When Thicket realized who was standing over him he hissed, flattening his ears, but when he tried to stand he couldn’t.

            “Thicket, you…” Eagleheart shook his head.

            The rogue coughed, shaking his head. “That damned sister of yours, boy. You… stop her. She’s killed…”

            “I know. Save your strength, alright?”

            Thicket’s green eyes widened, and Eagleheart turned to see Redbriar stalking towards them. Her thick pelt rippled with muscle, amber eyes bright with health. Even as she shook herself off from scuffling all over the forest floor, she shook her head in disapproval.

            “Always too empathetic, my poor brother. Look at him, Thicket. Sworn enemies not a half moon earlier and now he’s already trying to be friends,” Redbriar scoffed.

            “Any cat that’s been hurt by you deserves my kindness,” Eagleheart hissed.

            Redbriar’s eyes slit. He barely had time to brace himself before they were going head over tail into the next tree over, yowling and screeching.

            Perhaps Redbriar was that skilled, maybe it was just horrible luck, but it was Eagleheart’s head that smacked first into the trunk. The tabby slumped to the ground. His head felt numb and full of splinters at the same time, and he couldn’t do anything but stare up into the cloudy sky. Some part of him told him to _move,_ the fight wasn’t over yet, but he just couldn’t. The edges of his vision began to blur.

            The sound of a brawl made him blink, it felt like cats were fighting right next to him, and then he managed to look over and see what was going on.

            His heart stopped.

            Thicket and Redbriar were tearing at each other with fangs and claws, rolling over and over across the leaves and mud. Rain blasted down on them and soaked them to the bone. Thicket’s ribs stuck out from his sides. His attacks became feebler as Redbriar kicked him on to his back, instead just trying to keep her away from him.

            “Thicket,” Eagleheart muttered. He forced himself to his feet, the main battle behind him and still going strong. When his vision wobbled he nearly fell over, but he forced himself to stay upright as he staggered toward the rogues.

            If he hadn’t hit his head so hard it might have been different, he thought miserably. Redbriar had sunken her fangs deep into Thicket’s throat before Eagleheart had managed to get back on his feet. Gray fur ran dark red as blood spread down the old tabby’s neck and chest, from his mouth as he coughed up even more from his failing lungs.

            In his final moments, Eagleheart saw grief on Thicket’s face. It was pure regret and sadness and then, acceptance.

            He exhaled and went still.

            _Beware the briar…_

            A shocked scream came from behind Eagleheart. Thicket’s mate was there, and she gaped at the scene with nearly circular eyes and shaking legs. The battle slowed and finally ceased altogether when clan cats and rogues alike realized what had just happened.

            It was a surreal experience, seeing Thicket dead, and even more so the expression of utter anguish on his mate’s face. Had Eagleheart seen her portray any kind of emotion before? He couldn’t remember if he had.

            The black queen’s sister slunk out of the shadows and pressed herself against her littermate’s side. They looked at each other once, and then fled into the forest together.

            Eagleheart never saw them again.

            The remaining rogues looked shocked, and one younger tom began to wail before being hushed by his battle partner. Opponents released each other with slow, jerky movements. TideClan cats backed away from the rogues and regrouped by a patch of bracken. It was a short moment that lasted a lifetime, and it wasn’t over nearly as soon as it should have been.

            _I’m sorry,_ Eagleheart wanted to say, even though he didn’t know who he wanted to say it to. He decided he was sorry for all of it.

            Redbriar stepped off Thicket’s body and strode past him. “Let’s go home.”

            The rogues all looked at each other, eyes sunken and dull. A few got up to follow her out, and then several more. Redbriar padded towards a break in the bramble at the edge of the clearing, looking eager to get out of there.

            She never got the chance. As soon as everybody began to split apart a shout came from the brush, and two black blurs exploded out of it. They charged down Redbriar, ignoring the startled yelps coming from rogues and clan cats alike before slamming into her hard enough to send the three of them flying.

            “Shadowstep! Spikeclaw!” Eagleheart cried.

            “You daughter of a demon!” Spikeclaw roared. She slashed her oversized talons across Redbriar’s face, making her shriek. “That was for our father!”

            Shadowstep said nothing, as he was biting down into the rogue leader’s hind leg as hard as he possibly could, but Eagleheart didn’t miss the anger in his pale eyes.

            Redbriar bucked hard and sent Spikeclaw flying before rolling over Shadowstep and tearing out a good chunk of his shoulder. The black tom yowled and let go. That was all Redbriar needed to sprint away into the dark and rainy afternoon.

            The rogues did not follow her this time.

            Stormstar coughed and wiped her muzzle with a bloody paw. “Is… is everybody okay? No fatal injuries?”

            Eagleheart reared up on his kind legs and did a quick survey. Everybody looked beaten up but still very alive. Softstep’s leg looked like he was bothering him, though.

            “Send for Bluemoon,” he told Beetlepaw, and she nodded before taking off.

            A familiar flash of a tortoiseshell pelt made him turn his head, and Eagleheart blinked in surprise as none other than Shade came to stand beside him. The cocky air surrounding the rogue was long gone, and in its place was obvious discomfort.

            “Redbriar sent a king into battle?” Eagleheart asked in disbelief.

            “Queen, now,” Shade said dryly. “And she sure as hell did.”

            Shade’s belly was a bit bigger than when he last saw her, and while she looked unharmed (he wanted to salute his entire clan for having the decency to not put a single claw on an expecting cat) it was clear she was exhausted.

            Eagleheart helped her lay down. “What’s been happening over there?”

            “Fighting. Just… non-stop. Redbriar’s going to turn us all into killing machines to defeat TideClan or die trying. And the thing is, we don’t have a choice. She’s strong and a fierce leader. Sooner or later, we’ll all drift back to the camp. If we don’t, she’ll track us down and kill us off. She told us that herself.” Shade shook her head.

            “Your kits,” he muttered, and the tortoiseshell sighed heavily.

            Stormstar padded over to him, and Eagleheart stood to attention. “Should we start heading back to camp? Maybe we could offer the rogues temporary shelter nearby.”

            But the clan leader was shaking her head. “No. We’re finishing this.”

            Eagleheart stared at her in shock. “Now?”

            “Now. Redbriar’s on the run and the rogues aren’t about to try anything. No offense,” Stormstar addressed Shade.

            Shade smirked. “None taken.”

            Eagleheart watched in amazement as Stormstar rose to her full height and turned to her clan and the rogues. “Everybody capable, I want makeshift dens carved out in that brush. Eagleheart, lead a quick patrol around the area to make sure Redbriar’s not around. Pick up some prey while you’re at it. Aukletflight, go back to camp to tell Snowsky and the elders what’s going on.”

            TideClan immediately went to work. While Fireflower oversaw the excavation into the bramble Eagleheart rounded up Spikeclaw, Shadowstep, and Lightningstripe, and the four of them trotted into the woods. They didn’t find any trace of Redbriar, but they did have to travel far to find prey; no doubt every creature within ten treelengths of the battle heard what was going on and hauled ass as far as their little legs could take them. In the end they came back with a few squirrels, some mice, and a pheasant. To his surprise, Eagleheart saw that Shade had done the same for the rogues. As the rain let up, every cat settled into the clearing to talk and eat, the atmosphere of hostility fading away into the cool breeze.

            While everybody slowly began to settle down, Eagleheart stepped away and found Thicket’s body. It had just begun to stiffen, and so he dragged it further away into the forest and then went to go get Shade.

            “I was wondering what you all do with your dead,” he asked quietly.

            Shade shrugged. “I dunno, we just kind of leave ‘em. But… would you help me bury him? He always did love the forest.”

            They went to work, carving out a hole in the Earth large enough to fit the big tom into. Carefully, Shade nudged Thicket into it. Eagleheart found some pretty orange leaves and pine cones and gently dropped them in with the old rogue leader.

            Sometime during all of that the rogues came to watch. Many mumbled their goodbyes, their heads low. A few of the younger ones liked the idea of burying a bit of the forest Thicket had loved so much in with him and went off to fetch feathers and leaves. When they came back, they dropped their findings in with him. Spikeclaw and Shadowstep came to see as well, their children observing curiously. Sunpaw found a small round pebble and added it to the contributions with a short prayer.

            “Thank you,” one of the rogues whispered when Eagleheart stepped away to let the others pay their respects. He turned to see the gray tabby king Shade had been with in the camp. The tom looked very close to kitting, and Eagleheart looked over him to see more of the colony cats filing in from the direction of their camp.

            With them were the former TideClan warriors.

            With effort, he turned back to the king. “It’s… I just want for us to have peace.”

            “It will happen,” said the king. He bowed to Eagleheart and slipped away into the crowd.

            Finally, Eagleheart gave in and left Thicket’s grave to confront his former clanmates.

            Dustypool and Acornfall were hunched together, talking tersely when Eagleheart approached them. He saw the fear in their gaze.

            “Will you stand with us to help take down Redbriar?” he asked.

            They were quiet, blinking with shock, and then Dustypool nodded. Acornfall crouched down in respect.

            Flameflash agreed to his request as well, and so did Brightclaw and Eggfur. There was some tentative conversation between them and the TideClan warriors, and he saw Lightningstripe and Acornfall sitting together at the edge of the makeshift camp. The TideClan warrior and her former mentor laid close together and as Eagleheart watched, they fell asleep. He supposed that they were all too tired for any real conflict to take place.

            He found Falconflight curled up in the bramble, and Eagleheart left him alone when he saw the hair go up on the back of the other tabby’s neck. Some battles just weren’t fighting, and so when Bluemoon arrived we went around with the healer to help those who had been injured. By that time the sun was going down, and he found a spot next to Stormstar and curled up with her and Bluemoon before settling into a light sleep.

           


	48. Chapter 48

Eagleheart woke to Bluemoon yawning into his ear. He groaned and pushed the healer away, not eager to have those sharp fangs anywhere near his face. On his other side, Stormstar grunted and pushed back before he felt her get to her feet, and he sorely missed her warmth as the cold autumn wind blew in through the brush.

            “Up you go, I know you’re awake,” she mumbled as she yawned as well. Eagleheart grunted in reluctant agreement and got up.

            He padded out after her, Bluemoon stumbling after him and shivering. The tabby slowed so that they were walking side by side and he could shield Bluemoon from the chill. They followed Stormstar over to a log and hopped up on to it, flanking both her sides. She gave a near-deafening yowl that rung in Eagleheart’s ears.

            Cats jerked awake and stared blearily up at them. Aukletflight yelped and fell off a tree stump. Briarpaw, Nightpaw and Smokepaw peered down at their discombobulated mother from where they had been curled up against her belly. Falconflight shoved his face out of his nest in the brush and snarled.

            “My dear friends and newfound allies,” Stormstar began loudly. “Tonight, I intend for us to bring an end to Redbriar’s villainy and restore peace to the coast! She has murdered many cats in cold blood, including her _own son,_ for the sake of petty tyranny. This molly cannot be allowed to get away unscathed.”

            “And how do you propose we do that? In case you haven’t noticed, we’ve all beat the shit out of each other!” a rogue yowled.

            “Surely there must be cats ready for action!” Stormstar exclaimed. She glanced around the crowd, searching for fighters who weren’t covered in scratches or flopped flat on the ground from exhaustion. Eagleheart looked too, and his stomach sank when he found absolutely nobody in decent enough shape.

            Clan cats and rogues alike started muttering to each other. Many angry looks were tossed Stormstar’s way.

            “Wait!” Eagleheart suddenly shouted. He jumped to all fours. “I have a plan. If we can’t go after Redbriar, then we bring her here.”

            There were many confused cats staring at him.

            He leapt off the log and ran away into the forest. Eagleheart had no idea where he was going, or if his plan even had a chance to come to fruition in the first place, but all he knew was that he had to try. It had all come down to this.

            _StarClan, if you’re listening, now’s the time!_

            An explosion of cawing came from overhead, and he skidded to a stop. The sky was alive with large black birds, swirling above him like a dark mist. Three of them dove down to meet him, and somehow he recognized the leaders of the ravens.

            “Please, find Redbriar! Drive her back here. It’s time!” he shouted up to them.

            “Yeah, we know!” the female raven screamed- Creek was her name, he remembered. The ravens shot away into the sky, wingbeats as loud as thunder. As quickly as they had come, they dispersed, leaving Eagleheart alone in the shadows.

            He exhaled deeply, pausing to catch his breath. Where did he go from here? The ravens alone wouldn’t be enough to get her to come back.

            The answer came in the form of a sharp bark in the distance.

            Eagleheart’s ears pricked, and he hardly dared to believe it. Out of the ferns, three streaks of russet-black barreled towards him, and leading the charge was Uki.

            _“Uki!_ How-?”

            “The ravens warned me earlier today that many cats were fighting in the north woods. I knew it was time.” The fox shook herself off, dislodging some leaves from her bushy tail in the process.

            Eagleheart realized that two other foxes were standing behind her, watching him with narrowed eyes and raised ears.

            Uki seemed to notice his curiosity, and she circled back to nudge her company over to meet him. “Cat friend, these are my children. The dog is Kanaaq, and the vixen is Yura.”

            “This one we cannot kill, yes?” Yura growled.

            “Him and his clan, they are all friends to our people.” Uki nipped her daughter’s ear in exasperation.

            Kanaaq sniffed him. “He is fat. I like him.”

            “Um, thank you,” Eagleheart replied. The fox cubs’ eyes widened a little.

            “How come he can speak our tongue?” Yura demanded.

            “The spirits of dead TideClan cats, I believe,” Eagleheart told her. “I would love to get to know you both, I really would, but for now I must track down a murderer. Will you help me?”

            Both cubs’ tails raised in delight and started to wag. Kanaaq hopped forward on his three legs, panting excitedly.

            “Follow me.” Eagleheart ran back to where the battle had taken place, the three foxes following close behind him.

            Needless to say, the scare he gave everybody in the temporary camp was something to behold. He didn’t try to make a scene as he led his friends around the crowd of cats, him staring straight ahead and trying to ignore the shocked shrieks and snarls that made Yura and Kunaaq jump. Eagleheart turned and hissed for silence.

            “Stormstar, if you could explain?” he called over to his leader.

            Stormstar nodded. She looked back to the huge group and called for everybody to calm down, and when the growling had ceased she began to speak.

            “Eagleheart can talk to other animals, and he knows what he’s doing. No, Falconflight, stand down! I don’t care that I’m not your leader anymore, I ordered you to _stand down!”_

            The tabby led Uki, Yura, and Kunaaq to where Redbriar and Thicket had fought. “She’s the female. Can you smell her?”

            “Of course!” Yura scoffed. Eagleheart eyed her warily; she reminded him a little too much of Redbriar- cocky, loud-mouthed. Once the foxes had gotten a good whiff of the queen’s scent they let Eagleheart bring them up to the front of the camp.

            “Rogues and clan cats, these are my friends Uki, Yura, and Kunaaq. There are not to be attacked under any circumstances,” he said calmly, giving the bristling Falconflight a look. “They will help track down Redbriar. Meanwhile, my friends, the ravens, will be driving her back towards us.”

            “And the seabirds will guard the shore should she try and slip past us,” Uki added.

            “They will?” Eagleheart gasped. They had decided to help after all!

            “What did it tell you?” Eggfur yowled.

            “She told me that the seabirds will be guarding the shore, should Redbriar make it past our defenses. I spoke to them not too long after I returned from the rogues’ camp,” Eagleheart explained. Eggfur’s green eyes widened in amazement.

            “Hey, Eagleheart? Isn’t this all a little much to chase down just one cat? Redbriar’s strong as hell, but she’s still just one cat!”

            He turned to look at Otterscratch, looking up at him with concern. The black tabby was sitting with Softstep, Fireflower, and his nieces and nephews.

            Eagleheart sighed. “I don’t know. StarClan wants me to use this power for whatever reason, and even though I originally thought it would be us fighting against the rogues I can’t help but feel I’m still doing the right thing.”

            “I trust my deputy to make the right decisions,” Stormstar added.

            The dark tabby heard Dustypool gasp. “Ohmigosh, Eagleheart’s the _deputy_ now?”

            “Thank you, Stormstar,” Eagleheart said gratefully.

            The black-and-silver molly purred softly, the tension momentarily leaving her body. A rush of fondness and admiration filled him, and he resisted the urge to bury his face in her mane. Why hadn’t Stormstar been born his sister instead of Redbriar? He would have given anything to be able to call his dear friend kin.

            Eagleheart looked back to Uki. “Shall we?”

            The vixen huffed in agreement and leapt down from the log, followed by Yura and Kanaaq. Eagleheart ran after them. Behind him came the cries of support from his clanmates and what could have been a few rogues. He smiled, and for the first time since the whole ordeal had begun a tiny flame of hope bloomed within him.

<> 

            The foxes had absolutely _amazing_ senses of smell. Uki led the way, her nose to the ground and her tail wagging eagerly behind her. Eagleheart had long since lost Redbriar’s scent to time and the rain, as they were now heading into the twoleg colony. Strange and thick odors blotted out the familiar smells of the forest, and he glanced back longingly in the direction of his home before cautiously following his new friends.

            He was thankful that the twolegs were diurnal, as they were able to steal through the shadowy roads without disturbance. Yura and Kannaq chattered softly to themselves, occasionally darting off a short distance to investigate something. Eagleheart kept track of the scent trail with Uki, and as they kept going deeper into the twoleg colony he realized that the trail was becoming fresher.

            Ahead, a quartet of ravens flew, and he began to pick up the pace. The foxes did as well. Off in the distance he could hear even more of the great dark birds, and Eagleheart knew that Redbriar would be there.

            As they kept going, he realized that this part of the twoleg colony was looking familiar- huge twoleg dens that were two or three times the size of the ones closer to the forest, and larger territories to match. The cars here were also bigger and glossier.

            _This is were Bluemoon and I met his mother._ He flicked his tail, uneasy at the thought of Elizabeth and what they had done to her. Looks were _everything_ to a show cat, and he had let her own son take them from her, even if she did deserve it.

            _Not that I can talk,_ he thought wryly as they passed a puddle. Several more scars had joined his collection since he had last taken a look at himself. There was a notch in his left ear from where a rogue had nearly torn through it. _Not to mention I’m still fatter than a partridge in summer. But that doesn’t mean I’m not a great warrior. My body alone doesn’t determine what I can do, but my heart as well._

 Determination renewed, Eagleheart kept on tracking down the ruckus the ravens were making until he saw where the birds were swarming. He heard a cat screech in rage as a pair of them dove down to something, and he knew it had to be Redbriar.

            Eagleheart burst into a dead sprint, snarling like a whole pack of coyotes, and blasted over a hillside and into the fray.

            Redbriar was swearing up a storm at her attackers, teeth bared in absolute fury, and beneath her were the bodies of several ravens. Her tail lashed as one darted down to swoop over her, but she leapt into the air as it did and slapped it right out of the sky.

            She never saw him coming. Eagleheart crouched and sprang, letting the momentum from his run carry him, and landed hard against her. He felt more than heard the air leave her lungs with a _whoosh,_ and they rolled across the ground together. Gathering his strength, he pulled his hind legs close and slammed them into Redbriar’s stomach with everything he had.

            The torbie went flying and landed with a thump, but she was back on her feet within a heartbeat. Blood ran down her face from where the ravens had most likely tried to peck out her eyes, and her expression read absolute _murder._

            “You!” she hissed. “You sent them after me, didn’t you?!”

            “I did.”

            “I don’t see how you plan to kill me with a bunch of birds. You’re just too cowardly to do the job yourself, I suppose,” Redbriar jeered.

            Eagleheart shrugged. “I was hoping they would drive you back to the forest so we wouldn’t have to.”

            Redbriar blinked. “We?”

            Right on cue, Uki and her children slunk down from the rise, amber eyes glowing in the night and fangs bared like slices of the waning moon.

            The smirk fell right off Redbriar’s face as she arched her back in utter horror. She growled deep in her throat and fluffed out to make herself appear as big as possible. Eagleheart didn’t blame her, even he felt a jolt of fear upon seeing the foxes like that.

            “Eagleheart, call them off!” she yowled.

            “I don’t think you’re in any position to make demands right now. Come back with us and face your punishment, and we can go from there,” he pleaded.

            “My _punishment?_ For trying to make the world a better place?!” Redbriar screeched. “You all should be groveling at my paws! If you all just had the sense to listen maybe everything would have been fine!”

            He sighed. “Maybe one day you’ll learn to quit putting the blame on other people. Pitch! You all may leave now. Your losses will be honored.”

            The ravens wasted no time taking off, leaving him with Redbriar and the foxes.

Redbriar watched them go with wide eyes before turning back to him. “With that kind of power…”

“I could protect countless innocents,” he said, finishing her sentence for her. “Now. Come back peacefully and let us talk like sane cats.”

She hissed but relaxed her spiked hackles and stalked towards him. Once he was certain she wouldn’t try and kill him, he turned and led the way back up the hill and towards the forest. Kannaq and Yura were flanking Redbriar, with Uki behind her, and as soon as they got into the forest he let himself not be so on edge. If she so much as unsheathed her claws, Eagleheart knew he could count on Uki and her children to watch his back.

As they walked back towards the temporary camp, he began to sense that they were being watched, and when he glanced around the forest he could see glowing eyes peering out from underneath ferns and brush, or high up in trees. They darted around just out of the corner of his eye and whispered to one another. Something flew by overhead, and he looked to see a Spotted Owl looking down at him from the canopy.

“Uki, what’s going on?” he asked.

“News spreads faster in this forest than you would ever imagine,” the vixen murmured.

“What did she say?” Redbriar demanded. “Are we being followed?”

Eagleheart grunted. “We are. Uki said that news travels fast in the forest.”

He felt waves of fear rolling of Redbriar, and he smirked to himself. She wouldn’t be getting the advantage again anytime soon.

 _By the dawn of the next day all of this will be over,_ he vowed.

By the time they got back to camp a grayish light had begun to appear on the eastern horizon. The heartbeat he, Redbriar, and the foxes stepped into the forest the entirety of TideClan and the rogue group popped their heads out from the brush. They came out from their cuddle piles, the trees, the shadows like the other creatures that had followed them.

Somebody growled. Another cat echoed their sentiment, and then the entire camp broke out into roars of absolute hatred.

“Kit-killer!” Fireflower screamed.

“Abuser! Go to hell and rot!” a rogue cried. “You killed my brother!”

“She’s a tyrant! Eagleheart, let us kill her!”

“Tell the foxes to kill her, they’d make it more painful.”

“Oh, good idea. Leave her for the scavengers!”

Redbriar crouched down, her tail lashing, as Eagleheart leapt up on to the log he and Stormstar had spoken from earlier.

“This is it, Redbriar,” he told her, loud enough for everybody to hear. “Choose your final statement wisely. Maybe if we like what we hear, I’ll give you a head start and let everybody chase you down!”

“Where are my children?” she instead demanded.

The crowd parted, and Spottedpaw, Dawnpaw, and Pinepaw stepped through to greet their mother. At the sight of them, Redbriar lowered her hackles. Wickedly sharp claws receded back into dirty toes.

The trio stopped before her. Eagleheart couldn’t read the expressions on their faces.

Tentatively, Dawnpaw stepped forward and buried her face in her mother’s chest. Spottedpaw did the same. Pinepaw joined last, huddling close to Redbriar and pressing his face into her flank. He was shivering, as if even his thick, Maine Coon fur couldn’t stop the autumn chill that blew through the clearing. Time seemed to slow down.

Redbriar hugged them close, purring loud enough for five cats. “Oh, I knew the three of you would come back to me!”

“Yeah,” Spottedpaw murmured.

Eagleheart’s legs ran cold, and his tail bushed. Surely Spottedpaw, Dawnpaw, and Pinepaw had more sense than to leave with their murderous mother? Would he have to stop them? _Could_ he, even?

A swell of hisses came from both clan cats and rogues.

“Eagleheart, Softstep, you’re not going to let them go with her, are you?” Aukletflight cried out over the outrage.

“It’s okay, guys! It really is.” Dawnpaw shook her head.

Pinepaw grunted in agreement, his voice muffled in Redbriar’s fur. “It will all be okay, especially since _winter is almost here!”_

His voice grew steadily louder until he had shouted the last part. Eagleheart blinked, confused as to why his nephew was yelling about winter, before Sunpaw, Batpaw, and Beetlepaw came flying through the crowd and attacked Redbriar. Briarpaw, Nightpaw, and Smokepaw were hard on their heels, and the three of them fanned out around Redbriar in a close guard.

_It was a code!_

Redbriar screeched in shock as she went down under a pile of apprentices. Sunpaw and her sisters dug into her hindquarters and kept her on the ground, while Pinepaw led the attack to her upper body. Together, they knocked her flat on her back and pinned her down. All around the scene, cats yowled in excitement, shouting encouragement to the younger warriors. Eagleheart could do nothing but stare.

Pinepaw had sunk his claws into Redbriar’s throat until she bled, and he towered over at last with a look of frantic triumph. Like even he couldn’t believe what he had just done, he raised a shaking paw over his head and screamed. 

_“For Birdkit!”_

He brought his paw down and raked his claws through his mother’s throat.

 


	49. Chapter 49

            As Pinepaw dealt the killing blow to his mother, Eagleheart was briefly reminded of when Stormstar had lost nearly all of her remaining lives at the paws of Redbriar. There was the same mess of blood spreading out in a halo around both mollies, the same sickening stench of death that permeated the air like fog.

            Redbriar gave a strangled choking noise, trying to instinctively swallow back the blood flooding her windpipe but failing. A violent cough erupted from her jaws, followed by another, and then another, until the queen was trembling from the effort. She clawed at Pinepaw, digging into his skin and making him wince in pain, but when he refused to let go she fell back. The hacking and wheezing weakened, and after what seemed like moons Redbriar went limp.

            The clearing was stunned into utter silence. The apprentices all looked at each other with wide eyes, almost like they were waking up from a dream.

            Very, very slowly, Pinepaw stepped down from the body of his mother, avoiding the blood around her neck. When Redbriar gave no signs of life, he collapsed next to her, trembling.

            Instantly, Eagleheart was at his side, curling around his nephew protectively and letting the other apprentices join in.

            _Great StarClan, Redbriar is dead!_

            He broke away from the huddle to examine the torbie’s limp form. Blood crusted in her fur and made her pelt even redder than it already was. Her eyes were closed, and Eagleheart could have believed she was just sleeping if not for her slashed throat.

            The dark tabby hopped over to her other side, where the wound had already begun to dry up. There wasn’t nearly as much blood as there had been with Stormstar. In fact, most of it looked to have come from previous injuries.

            Frowning, he inspected Redbriar’s neck more closely, noting how wide it was. It was almost as if not enough pressure had been put on it to _actually_ go through into her neck.

            He had about a heartbeat to realize that before sharp fangs were sinking into his own throat with astonishing speed and power. Laughter shook the body of his attacker below him, sharp and mocking.

            _“Eagleheart!”_

            It was over before it began. A dark blur slammed into Redbriar, knocking her off him. Eagleheart looked up to see Stormstar and Redbriar brawling in the mud, snarling louder than the ocean waves beating up against the cliffside.

            “Fool boy!” Redbriar snarled at Pinepaw, who cowered in terror behind a bristling Spottedpaw. “Claws alone won’t break through to the jugular! You should have bitten me if you _really_ wanted me dead.”

            She proceeded to do just that to Stormstar, who screamed and kicked the torbie off her. Redbriar, surprisingly, did not try and attack the clan leader again and took off into the trees.

            There was a moment of confusion, as if nobody knew what to do before Eagleheart broke it and ran after her. He gasped for air as he left the crowd of shouting cats behind, his legs shaking underneath him as his body reminded him that he was running out of energy.

            _Running out of time._

            A yowl came from up ahead, and he forced himself to put on a burst of speed. The grayish light that had signified the coming dawn had grown brighter, spilling forth the faintest beams of sunlight through the forest. It was beautiful, and smelled of other cats-

            _Wait, what?_

            Eagleheart skidded to a stop just as he exploded out from a carpet of ferns and into a thinning in the trees and brush. It was a good thing he stopped when he did, otherwise he might have smacked right into Redbriar.

            They locked eyes as he scrambled away from her, her and what seemed like two clan’s worth of cats put together that waited expectantly behind the queen.

            Redbriar burst out laughing. “The look on your face! Honestly, Eagleheart, you didn’t think that Thicket’s bunch was the _only_ colony in the twoleg settlement? Far from it, in fact. These just happen to be one that have also taken interest in the forest.”

            Eagleheart could only stare at her. “W-What?”

            “Pinepaw’s not the only one with a backup plan,” she boasted. “He gets it from me.”

            A slender brown tabby molly slunk through the colony cats and sat down next to Redbriar. “I am Chestnut, the leader of these cats. Your sister here made me a very lovely deal: drive your clan and the other rogues out, and the forest will be ours.”

            Redbriar smirked. “Chestnut is much easier to do business with than Thicket or Stormstar. The other rogues were such a pain in the _ass.”_

            “I must say, dear, that you have my gratitude for drawing them out of the town,” Chestnut drawled, examining her claws. “Not to mention getting rid of that _awful_ Thicket. He’s been a bastard ever since I formed my own little group here.”

            “Why am I not surprised!”

            “I hate to interrupt this little pep talk,” a familiar voice said from the shadows. “But you lot are on my last nerve, and that’s a bad place to be.”

            Eagleheart looked to see Stormstar and Bluemoon slip out from where he assumed they must have been hiding.

            Chestnut eyed Stormstar with raised brows. “Redbriar, dear, you did not say that the leader of TideClan was the size of five of my cats put together.”

            “Size means nothing. She’s weak and unfit to rule, and she couldn’t kill if her own life depended on it.” Redbriar stood to greet the clan leader and healer.

            Eagleheart’s eyes met Bluemoon’s. Bluemoon looked… numb. It was as if the events of the last night had sucked the life right out of him, leaving nothing but a hollow shell. The dark tabby wanted nothing more than to take him away from this place, far, far away, where nothing could ever hurt him again.

            “TideClan will never surrender to you, not to anyone! You’ve caused enough grief,” Stormstar snarled.

            “Oh, just take your damned cats and leave. Tell the rogues to get out, too. I’m done with trying to fix everybody else’s problems!” Redbriar retorted, tail lashing back and forth.

            “And yet you keep creating more,” Stormstar growled back at Redbriar. “Tell your precious little Chestnut to beat it and take her entourage with her. Let this _end_ already! This coast has seen too much war and I will _not_ stand for it!”

            “Brave words, coming from you. In case you haven’t noticed, there’s several dozens of us, and one of you. What do you plan to do, take us as a one-molly army?” Redbriar snorted.

            Stormstar stared down at her, her previously angry demeanor melting away like snow in the spring breeze. “That’s exactly what I intend to do. You miscalculated, Redbriar. You have everything to lose.”

            She lowered her gaze. “I don’t. My path ends here. I’m already dying, I can feel it.”

            Eagleheart took a step forward. “Stormstar? What are you…”

            The clan leader looked back at him, and her gaze softened. “Eagleheart, you know it as much as I do. Your time has come at last. You’ve given so much of yourself to TideClan, to the world itself. Now, it is time for me to do the same.”

            “Stormstar, no,” he whispered hoarsely, refusing to believe what was happening. “No, I can’t do this without you!”

            “You already have.”

            Redbriar was glaring at the two of them. “What the hell are you two doing? Listen, Stormstar. If you kill my nuisance of a brother and leave, I’ll spare you and that slip of a cat you call your healer.”

            For the first time, Eagleheart noticed the deep gash in Stormstar’s chest. Redbriar had bitten her there back in the clearing, but he hadn’t realized how bad it was. It occurred to him that Bluemoon wasn’t just emotionally worn out; _he knew that their friend was dying._

_No, this cannot be happening. No, no, no-!_

            The world seemed to grind to a stop. Stormstar’s golden eyes shimmered in the light of the morning sun that burst above the horizon at last, illuminating the blood that coated her front. Dark drops of the liquid dropped down to the earth below. She was joyous, completely at peace with destiny itself.

             “Never,” she whispered merrily. “Now, run, Eagleheart! _RUN!”_

             She leapt, but not at Redbriar.

             Chestnut’s shriek cut off abruptly as she was crushed beneath the clan leader and had her throat torn out. The only time Stormstar had ever killed, Eagleheart understood. The only time she ever will.

             “Eagleheart, come on!” Bluemoon screamed as their friend leapt into the crowd of rogues. “We have to go, _now!”_

             “I-!” He staggered towards the healer, unable to tear his eyes away from Stormstar, but then they were running, running as if their lives depended on it. They couldn’t make their legs move fast enough, and just as they were nearly out of earshot they heard Stormstar’s last battle cry, strained but triumphant. Eagleheart shot a look over his shoulder, gasping, and he could have sworn he saw the starry figure of a cat rising to the heavens above.

<> 

            They ran until they physically couldn’t anymore. Eagleheart’s legs gave out first, and he collapsed into a hyperventilating pile on the ground. He couldn’t get enough air no matter how deeply he drew in the cold morning breeze into his lungs. Everything was spinning, and he could only hold on tight to the dead grass underneath his paws and hope he didn’t fall into the sky.

            _She saved our lives. She knew she was dying, and she came for me anyways._

            He raised his shaking head and saw Bluemoon next to him, crying into the leaves. Feebly, Eagleheart pulled him close, trying to take the pain away from the cat he loved most. StarClan above, Stormstar had practically _raised_ Bluemoon. The healer had lost his mother, in a way, and in the same fashion Eagleheart had lost his sister. It was almost too much to bear.

            No, he couldn’t do this anymore. It was too much. He just wanted to curl up with Bluemoon and sleep until next autumn. So, that’s what he did, and he gave way to the comforting blackness of sleep.

<> 

            Something cold brushed his nose, and he opened his eyes to see little snowflakes drifting past him and landing on the ground. Each was tiny and perfect, completely unique, as if StarClan themselves had taken the time to craft every single one.

            A flash of color caught his attention, and he looked up.

            Not too far away from where he had fallen was a single wild rose, growing right next to a bush he couldn’t identify. He stared at it, admiring the flower’s perseverance even in the coming winter. Its petals were a little worn but were unfurled bravely to the sky, like it alone could take on the cruel and unforgiving world.

            A sharp gasp left him fully awake, and he all but scrambled to his feet. Beside him, Bluemoon awoke with a cry, already beginning to shiver from the cold.

            “Bluemoon, look! Look over there! Rosepetal sent me a sign after all!” he cried, relief and happiness making his paws light again. “Nightstar said she would, and she did!”

            “W-What?” Bluemoon stammered.

            “We have to keep going. The others will be waiting for us!” He nosed the Siamese tom to his feet. Bluemoon stared up at him with wide eyes, still obviously half-asleep before he stiffened and gestured for the tabby to follow him.

            Eagleheart did. His legs trembled underneath him as he stumbled after Bluemoon, but he kept trudging on through the forest.

            As they pushed on, Eagleheart noticed that the trees were beginning to thin. The ground sloped down to the ocean in a gentle wave of dying grass.

            “Bluemoon, where are we going? The camp is back that way,” he said.

            Bluemoon looked over his shoulder at him. “We aren’t going back to camp. We need to go to the Mooncave.”

            “The Mooncave?” Eagleheart blinked in confusion before remembering.

            “You’re the deputy, Eagleheart,” the healer murmured. “It’s time for you to receive your name and nine lives.”

            The world spun around him, and it hit him once more that Stormstar… Stormstar was dead. But she couldn’t be, right? Surely she had to be alive somewhere; the rogues most definitely had to retreat and regroup after the death of their leader. It just made sense.

            But even as he tried to convince himself that his friend was alive, the look on Bluemoon’s face told him all that he needed to know.

_Medicine cats always know how many lives the clan leader has left. I… I guess that still goes for whether or not they’re… dead._

            Eagleheart felt lightheaded, but he refused to faint as he followed Bluemoon down to the beach. The cold ocean breeze blowing past them helped clear his head, but that only made him more painfully aware of the entire situation. He felt painfully small, like a newborn kit that had been abandoned by its mother.

            At last, the hole in the cliffside that ended that section of the beach became visible. The snowfall had picked up in intensity, bathing the world around them in a soft white glow, as if they were already in StarClan. Eagleheart was too numb to feel the chill, and so he headed for it without hesitation.

            Once they were inside they let themselves rest again. Eagleheart curled up tightly around Bluemoon to drive some warmth into that skinny body of his, trying to ignore the pitch darkness that waited for them not a few more paw-steps into the tunnel.

             “Just like old times, huh?” he croaked.

             “Oh, s-shush,” Bluemoon groaned. They remained like that for a little while longer, pressed into each other as much as possible. Eagleheart wanted to stay like that forever, just him and Bluemoon together, but when he stopped shivering he knew it was time to go.

 _Rosepetal would want me to keep going,_ he told himself.

             And so he did, following Bluemoon down in the blackness. There was no light to be spoken of down there, and so he relied upon his sense of touch to tell him where to go. The cave felt even smaller than when he had last been there, and he found himself having to shove his way through certain parts of the tunnel. It was incredibly claustrophobic.

             Like last time, the only thing that kept him from panicking was Bluemoon. The other tom’s scent wreathed around him in the dark, filling his lungs with the lively tang of herbs and something else that might have been the breath of the stars themselves. He closed his eyes and let it wash over him, feeling his heartbeat slow and his steps become more confident. As long as he had Bluemoon, he knew, everything would be alright.

             It was some time before he spotted the light coming from up ahead. His breath catching in his throat, the tabby almost bowled Bluemoon over in his eagerness to get to the open cavern. He heard the healer yelp before chasing after him.

             At last, he burst out into the glowing cavern, out of breath and feeling every hair on his pelt stand up at the sight of it all.

             It was exactly the same as when he had last saw it. The lights covering the rock and mosses glowed brilliantly, countless stars that had fallen to bless the earth below. At the center of it all was the pool, still as stone. It held the reflection of the cavern perfectly within its depths, a perfect copy of the night sky itself.

             He remembered to breathe just as Bluemoon brushed past him. The healer looked back at him, eyes soft in the pale light of the glowing worms. He looked unworldly, as if he was already a StarClan spirit himself.

             “Are you ready?”

             It was the same question he had asked Eagleheart the first time they went into the Mooncave. Instead of a young, shivering apprentice standing before him, though, was a fully grown and capable healer that he trusted and loved with every drop of blood in his being.

 _Was_ he ready? Eagleheart wasn’t sure, or maybe it was the shock delaying any legitimate emotional reaction to all that had just happened. But he knew that he had to do what was right for TideClan, for the entire coast. He had to save his home, no matter what it took out of him.

             “Let’s do this,” he whispered.

             Together, he and Bluemoon stepped into the pool, spreading ripples across the perfectly still surface. He gasped when he first set paw into it, as it wasn’t cold, but rather warm enough for him to fully regain feeling in his toes. A spring probably fed into it, he reasoned.

             Eagleheart curled up next to Bluemoon in the water, shivering at the contrast of temperatures. He rested his head on the smaller tom’s side as they laid down, and as the warm water heated the dark tabby he didn’t stop shivering.

             It wasn’t that he was cold. Eagleheart was scared. He was scared of what was to come, and if he would even survive it.

<> 

            Eagleheart didn’t remember falling asleep, or even if he did. The last thing he remembered was the cavern blacking out around him, like the starry worms suddenly died out. He might have cried out in horror, he might not have, but when he woke up he was on the beach with silvery ocean water washing up around him.

            His eyes flew open, and he lurched to his feet with a gasp.

            What seemed like every cat that had ever lived was gathered on the cliffside, the beach, the forest’s edge. There were old toms and mollies with silvery muzzles and glowing scars, younger warriors that glittered like moonlight off the ocean, apprentices and kits that shoved each other excitedly and chased each other around while queens watched and laughed in delight. Even more streamed down from above as if the stars themselves had come down to pay the shore a visit.

 _Not if,_ Eagleheart wondered in complete awe as he trembled. _They truly are the stars!_

            Eagleheart stood, taking a deep breath to steady himself as the last of the ghostly arrivals took their places amongst their friends and family.

            It was only then that he began to recognize the cats sitting closest to him.

 _“Rainfeather?”_ He choked. “Petrelswoop! Gullcry!”

            “Eagleheart,” they all said, even though none of their mouths moved. “We welcome you to StarClan as the successor of Stormstar and the newest leader of TideClan. Are you ready to receive your name and nine lives?”

 _Stormstar truly is dead._ The thought almost made him collapse in misery. _But I cannot grieve right now. I must become the leader of TideClan!_

            “I am ready,” he got out.

            A pair of starry spirits shifted apart, letting a huge black-and-silver tom stride through. His pale green eyes blazed brighter than any star, blinding and impossible to look away from.

            Eagleheart began to shake again. “Nightstar, I’m so sorry… I-I couldn’t save her.”

            “You weren’t supposed to, boy. You kept your promise, and that was all I asked of you,” the former clan leader told him, his tone almost gentle.

            “But your daughter is dead!”

            “She is. But she has fulfilled her destiny and become a leader TideClan will always be proud of. She died gladly for her people, as a true warrior always will,” said Nightstar.

            “She… she was too young,” Eagleheart whispered.

            “She was. But even StarClan cannot control fate. We can only guide the living through it,” Nightstar explained firmly, but not unkindly. It seemed as if though a massive weight had been lifted from those scarred shoulders, releasing the huge tom from an eternity of worry. He was no longer full of anger as he walked up to Eagleheart and bent down to touch his nose to the tabby’s forehead. It burned like the coldest of ice, and Eagleheart couldn’t move away from it, as if his limbs had locked down against his will.

            “With this life I give you anger. Do not hold back your emotions, no matter how distasteful they can be, for they will destroy you if you do not accept them as part of yourself.”

            As soon as Nightstar finished speaking a bolt of pure agony roared through Eagleheart, as if he had been struck by lightning. A dull roar overwhelmed his senses. In his mind’s eye he could see claws meeting claws, the rush of battle and deafening yowls as cats fought against cat. The howl of an animal rose above it all, wilder and deeper than the call of any coyote, until the sensation of fangs sinking into his throat jolted him out of his fit.

            Eagleheart sat down, gasping and shaking like a leaf as the pain subsided. _That_ was what receiving a life felt like? How was he supposed to do that _eight more damn times?!_

            But Nightstar was already padding off, his tail switching across the waves rolling in. Eagleheart watched him go, and almost missed the next familiar face until she was standing right in front of him.

            “I knew you would make it,” Rosepetal crowed, shoving her face against his. “All you needed was a little push.”

            “ _Rosepetal,”_ he choked, pressing himself tightly against her. “I miss you so much! TideClan’s not the same without you.”

            “I miss you too. One day we’ll get to hang out together again, I promise. But for now, you’ve got a clan to lead!” Rosepetal looked up at him with determination before reaching up to press her nose to his. “With this life, I give you love. Use it to care for everybody you care for, and even for yourself, because life is too precious to be full of hate. And above all…” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Use it with Bluemoon.”

            Rosepetal’s life was much different than Nightstar’s. He saw her living in TideClan, hunting and fighting and being with friends, worshipping the ground Stormstar walked on until she decided to do other things with her time, and then the journey to the rogue camp… It was just painful enough to keep the shock of the knowledge that Rosepetal knew about his feelings for the healer until after she was already strutting off.

            “Rosepetal, you-!” he squeaked, but she just winked at him over her shoulder and disappeared into the crowd.

            The arrival of the next cat saved him from any further embarrassment. Rainfeather strode toward him, her mane glinting silver and tawny, purring loud enough for Eagleheart to feel through the air.

             “I am so proud of you,” the old deputy told him.

             “Thank you, Rainfeather. I just wish I…” he began, but the big queen shook her head and bumped it to his own, cutting him off.

             “No more regrets. Only new beginnings.” She touched her nose to his forehead, and he felt her gentle breath against his fur. “With this life, I give you perseverance. When you find yourself in the darkest times, use it to stay alive and keep moving forward.”

             Nightstar’s life was painful, but in many ways Rainfeather’s was even worse. She was growing up to be a promising warrior, until _he_ came along, and she was in love. Stagstrike _got_ her until he didn’t, claiming that all she needed to be happy was to be in the nursery with his kittens. Rainfeather didn’t want to be in the nursery just yet, and they argued until he tried to force himself. She couldn’t tell anybody about it after, she just couldn’t, and one night she had enough of it all and fought him to the cliff’s edge. She won.

             Eagleheart wheezed for breath, feeling foul and used like Rainfeather had. Thankfully, the sensation faded as the queen left, but he still couldn’t shake the unspoken message she had given him with her life.

_Choose carefully. Not every cat is so lucky to have escaped somebody like Stagstrike._

             A smaller form replaced the former deputy’s, and Darkpaw pranced forward excitedly to greet him. Sparks flew from the young tom’s feet as he moved, and Eagleheart felt the lump in his throat grow even bigger as he bent down to greet the mischievous apprentice. Darkpaw had died earlier in the season cycle in a huge battle against the rogues.

            “Oh, Darkpaw, you fought so bravely,” he told him, voice rough with sorrow.

            “I know. I was pretty cool,” Darkpaw said happily, knocking his head against Eagleheart’s. “But now it’s your time to be even cooler! With this life, I give you leadership. Use it to teach apprentices, guide your kin, and keep TideClan safe.”

            Darkpaw’s life was the joy of youth, the tireless churning of paws against ocean waves and sprinting through the forest as if he would never grow old. It was the ache of worn out muscles after a hard day of training and playing, laughing in the face of a challenge and never backing down. It made Eagleheart dizzy with happiness as he remembered when he had been just like Darkpaw. It hurt, too, but in a good way.

            The apprentice good-naturedly punched his shoulder and trotted off to sit next to Mousefoot, who nodded at him proudly.

            The silver tabby sitting next to Mousefoot rose and approached him. With a jolt, Eagleheart recognized Grassbug, the queen who had died giving birth when he was just an apprentice. The cat who now stood before him was a far cry from the bloody heap of fur on the nursery floor, though, and Eagleheart eagerly stepped forward to receive her life.

            “With this life, I give you family. When all is lost, remember the cats who care about you. Never give up, Eagleheart,” Grassbug murmured. She touched her nose to her forehead, and agony exploded in him as he felt the pain and fear of a birth going wrong, but it wasn’t fear for her. She was afraid for her _children,_ these precious lives who she did not even know. There was nothing to spare for herself. Nothing in the entire world mattered more than those tiny kits at her belly, pawing gently at her with baby-sharp claws.

            He cried a little at that as she stepped away, finally understanding the reverence everybody gave the queens in TideClan. They deserved all of it and more for everything they gave. There was nothing more sacred than life.

            After Grassbug came Sunmist, her pale pelt alit with starlight. There was no more exhaustion and worry on her regal face. She was finally at peace with the world and with herself.

            “Thank you,” she told him as she brushed her muzzle against his. He knew what she was speaking of, and he did not need to ask her to elaborate. “With this life, I give you judgement. Use it to decide who you welcome into TideClan and those you need to turn away. Sometimes, gut instinct is worth listening to, even if you feel sorry about it.”

            Sunmist’s life was pure fire. He felt her ambition, her love for her many children even when she lost them all. When her final fight arrived and she faced off against three cats much younger and stronger than her there was no fear. She was ready to see her children and Nightstar again, and to welcome Stormstar into the afterlife when the time came.

            “Three more,” she called over her shoulder as she trotted away.

            “Three more… oh!” he breathed, blinking heavily. He felt like he had been standing there for entire season cycles. Was he truly almost done?

            An enormous, silver-and-black tabby with ocean green eyes stepped out from a cluster of other spirits. He shivered in both awe and fright as the cat approached him but managed to calm down when he saw the twinkle of humor in that dark gaze. This warrior wasn’t anybody he knew from life, that was for sure. He would have _definitely_ remembered somebody like this.

            “W-Who are you?” he asked.

            A laugh made the tabby’s shoulder’s shake, deep and warm like a summer night. “I believe your elder told my story to you not too many moons ago.”

            The air left Eagleheart’s lungs. Shock raced through his entire being as he realized who this massive warrior had to be, even as he began to tremble again. Was this happening? There was no way this could actually be-

            No way.

            _“Tidestar.”_

            “Atta boy. I knew you had a good head on you!” Tidestar boomed proudly.

            “But Blossompelt said you were a…” he started to say. But even before he finished the thought, he knew that Blossompelt had still told the truth.

            “A molly? I am.”

            “You are,” he agreed. “I didn’t know that…”

            Again, Tidestar finished his sentence for him as she ruffled his ears. “Cats like me and your friends and apprentice existed back then? We did. And we always will. With this life, I give you creativity. Use it to come up with new and wonderful things, whether they be battle plans, daydreams, or maybe even… a new clan?”

            The thunder of battle roared over him. She was _unstoppable,_ the strongest and best fighter the world had ever seen. Cats flocked from all around to hear her words, her thoughts and designs. A new life for those who believe they are worthy, Tidestar cried out to the masses. Come! Let us become something more than the sum of our parts! She was the creator, the mother of all who called the shore their home, even though she never gave birth.

            _Something more…_

            Tidestar pulled away, beaming down at him. Her purring was loud enough for him to feel it in his jaws. With a slight dip of her head, she turned and disappeared into the seemingly endless sea of cats.

            They shifted as Tidestar walked amongst them until Eagleheart could no longer see her. The scampering of tiny paws over sand replaced the slow pace of the huge spirit’s footsteps, and a swell of fond laughter came from the assembled cats as a pale tawny kitten squeezed out from underneath a tabby warrior’s legs.

            _“Uncle Eagleheart!”_

            Eagleheart dove forward and brought Birdkit to his chest, crying out in joy and grief alike. His nephew squirmed around as he licked at Eagleheart’s muzzle, giggling, as the dark tabby held him tightly as if he would disappear at any moment.

            “Oh, my baby boy! You made it to StarClan, I’m so relieved,” he breathed, lightheaded.

            Birdkit nodded happily. “Yeah I did! Everybody here says I did such a good job at standing up to Mama even though I was scared. Tidestar herself said I’m a hero!”

            “You are a hero,” Eagleheart croaked. “Oh, Birdkit, I’m so sorry I couldn’t stop her, I should have seen that coming-“

            A soft little paw over his mouth stopped him from finishing his sentence. “No. Mama was bad, not you. You did everything you could have.”

            “Did it hurt?”

            He had to know if his nephew’s last moments on Earth were in pain. It wasn’t a rational desire, or even a healthy one, but for whatever reason he just had to hear it from Birdkit.

            But Birdkit just shook his fuzzy head. “Nuh-uh. I was sad that I had to go without saying goodbye, but it didn’t hurt at all. Can you tell Pinepaw and Dawnpaw and Spottedpaw I said hi? I’ll be watching over them.”

            “Of course I will,” Eagleheart promised.

            Birdkit nodded, a kind of wisdom in those round blue eyes that Eagleheart had only ever seen in the most seasoned elders of his clan. He leaned in and pressed his nose against his uncle’s, his chubby kitten legs sprawled out on either side of his muzzle. “With this life, I give you happiness. Use it to enjoy the simple gift of being alive, to savor each and every wonderful thing that comes your way in an unpredictable world.”

            A warm wave of security washed over Eagleheart, sending him back to a time when he was just a round ball of fluff at his own mother’s belly. There was nothing he needed to worry about, nothing he needed to want for other than his next meal. Beside him, his brothers and sisters squirmed slightly, squeaking in their sleep. A muzzle brushed over him that was as large as his whole body and he sighed contently.

            Birdkit stood and shook himself off before trotting over to Mousefoot, greeting her with a loud meow. Eagleheart watched him go longingly. Surely he could spend just a few more moments with his nephew?

            But then, he saw Grassbug murmur something to Mousefoot, looking worried. Many spirits seemed to be growing impatient as moments passed, almost as if they were waiting for something.

            Eagleheart looked around, becoming increasingly concerned as nobody else came forward. _Don’t I have one more life to receive? Do they not want to give it to me?_

            He looked to Rainfeather for answers, but she wasn’t looking in his direction. Her golden eyes were fixed on the horizon behind him. Just as he was about to turn around to see what she was looking at, the queen gasped.

            Eagleheart looked over his shoulder. At first, he couldn’t see anything but the starlit sea stretching out to infinity under the multicolored heavens. Silver waves rolled in and splashed against his legs. Then, strangely, a pinprick of light appeared in the far distance.

            At first he thought it was just another star. Then it began to grow, slowly, steadily, like an ember bursting into flame. It was blinding to look at for too long, until it didn’t, and the star dimmed a bit into a comfortable glow. It was a _cat,_ he realized. A large, black and silver spirit was galloping across the water with her feet barely skimming the surface. White flames licked up from her fur and lit up the space around her. Her eyes were golden-amber like an autumn sunrise, warming him from the inside out and making his heart stumble in place.

            Eagleheart gasped, the air catching in his throat as he staggered towards the ocean. A quiet sob erupted from inside of him. Even as the waves washed over his paws and chilled him to the bone he didn’t stop. The newcomer slowed to a trot as she approached him, grinning ear to ear as if she had never been happier.

            “Why did you have to go?” he wept bitterly as Stormstar embraced him warmly. “I-I can’t do this without you! I n-need you with me!”

            “Oh, but you _can._ You were destined to be the next leader of TideClan the moment you entered the forest by our shore,” Stormstar told him, looking down at him with pride. Her entire being shimmered like frost. “I needed you _alive,_ Eagleheart, we all did. If I hadn’t done what I did back there then you and Bluemoon might have not had the time to get away.”

            “I would have died for you,” he argued.

            “Not on my watch,” she said sternly.

            “But I’m still so young, like you were. Wouldn’t it have been for the best to have chosen somebody else to become leader?” Eagleheart asked. Would TideClan hate him for stepping up on nothing but Bluemoon’s insistence?

            “Look, I just got here, but I’ll fight anybody in this realm who disagrees with me that you aren’t a perfect fit for what TideClan is going to need. Change is coming to the coast, Eagleheart. Don’t you see it?” Stormstar asked.

            He remembered what Tidestar had said earlier as she gave him her life of creativity. “You mean… I’m going to help form a new clan?”

            Stormstar hummed in agreement. She pressed her cheek against his, and he leaned into it with a hunger, absorbing what he knew was his last time with her.

            _Goodbye, my friend._

            “With this life, I give you courage. Use it when you’re at your weakest and most vulnerable, for that is also when you can be at your strongest.” She touched her nose to his forehead and breathed her essence into his own.

            In that heartbeat of infinity, he was one with her. He shared her strength and passion and zest for life. He knew her grief when she realized that her own clan despised her as their leader but came to accept it and work hard to change their minds as she gained experience. She wanted nothing but to serve TideClan, and she had passed that test with flying colors, for not once had she hesitated to give up a life for her people. There was no more doubt that Stormstar was one of the greatest leaders the cats of the sea would ever know.

            The energy that came from her grew stronger and stronger. It filled every last part of his being, making his teeth shiver and his tail bush in terror. His muscles ached with the strain as he tensed hard enough for his whole body to ache. The overwhelming sensation grew stronger and stronger, steady as the tide coming in to the shore, until he knew he had to scream or die from the agony.

            But just as the tide came in, it retreated, for there had to be balance. Eagleheart opened his eyes to see Stormstar look to the heavens above, smiling joyfully. “Stand.”

            He obeyed. All of the spirits did the same, watching him, but he felt no more anxiety at having so many eyes on him. The dark tabby felt like his spirit would explode inside of him from the amount of sheer life that hummed along his heart and lungs and intestines, all the way to the tips of his claws and up inside his brain. Relief crashed over him as he realized he was no longer in pain.

            Stormstar bowed before him. “From now until the night you join us, you will be the new protector and servant of TideClan, its leader and one true guardian. Each of your nine lives is evidence to the fact that StarClan has gifted you with their blessing. Live every one with strength, with compassion and pride. Honor the warrior code, your ancestors, and above all, the cats who now serve you. All hail Eaglestar, clan leader and speaker of all tongues!”

            _“Eaglestar!”_ Just as TideClan greeted a warrior or apprentice by yowling their new name, StarClan did the same for him, countless voices joining in a thunderous mantra that made the sea itself shiver. _“Eaglestar! Eaglestar! Eaglestar!”_

            “Eaglestar!” Birdkit screamed.

            “Eaglestar!” Darkpaw and Mousefoot and Grassbug cried. “Eaglestar!”

            Eaglestar stood before them all, eyes wide with incredulity as they all bowed to him as Stormstar had. The black molly herself approached him, purring, and nodded to the starry ocean from which she had just came. The warmth in her gaze chased away the last of his doubts and fear.

            “Until we meet again,” she told him.

            “Until then,” he agreed. With one last look at his friends and clanmates, Eaglestar leapt into the surf and dove beneath the waves.

           


	50. Chapter 50

            He burst from the pool in the Mooncave with a gasp, gulping for air like he hadn’t breathed in moons.

            For a couple of heartbeats he stared at the glowing walls, trying to remember where he was and why he was there before a familiar voice shattered the silence.

            “Oh, StarClan, I thought you were _dead!”_

            Bluemoon crashed into his chest, huddling tightly against him and crying. Eaglestar held him there, stunned. Holy shit, had all of that really happened?

            He moved, feeling sore all over from the lives that had merged with his own. Oh, yes, that had definitely just happened.

            “Bluemoon?” he asked, voice hoarse. “What… are you okay?”

            “You didn’t have a heartbeat!” the healer wheezed.

            “I didn’t… I died?”

            “I _guess!_ You died, and then you came back!”

            “… Wow. Wouldn’t be the weirdest thing that’s happened, I guess,” the dark tabby finally summarized. He stood, water running off his thick pelt. Other than feeling like he had swum across the bay and back five times he felt… good, actually. _Really_ good. Wow.

            “So did you…” Bluemoon began shakily.

            “I did. Oh, Bluemoon, it was phenomenal. I saw everybody that we lost, and some of them gave me my lives, and I got to see Birdkit again!” Eaglestar exclaimed. “And then they all chanted my name, and it was like the sea itself was congratulating me! You should have been there. It was like nothing I could have even imagined.”

            _“Eaglestar,”_ Bluemoon breathed reverently.

            Eaglestar kissed him passionately, pulling him down against his stomach. They wrestled in the water, laughing almost hysterically as relief made them giddy. He had made it. Somehow, even through death, he had found a way

            Just as he began to relax, enjoying the feel of Bluemoon’s body on his, real life tapped him on the shoulder and coughed.

            _“Redbriar!”_

            Bluemoon blinked, stiffened, and then they were both scrambling for the cavern’s entrance in a panic. The healer led the way through the winding tunnel, Eaglestar right on his heals, until they burst out into the night. The dark tabby noted that an entire day had passed, or at least that’s what it looked like to him. Snow still whirled down around them and blew into their eyes. A bit flew up Eaglestar’s nose, and he sneezed violently.

            _We have to get back as fast as we possibly can! I didn’t know so much time would pass when I was with StarClan._

            “Bluemoon! I’ll lead, and you correct me when I’m heading in the wrong direction, okay?” he asked as he pulled level with the swift healer.

            “Wait, what?”

            But Eaglestar was already flying through the snow as if wings had sprouted from his paws, fast as the wind itself. He was as light as a feather, stronger than any fox, more determined than a rabbit facing a whole horde of predators. There was nothing he couldn’t do.

            He had slowed to a trot as they reached the border of clan territory, if not only because Bluemoon was wheezing from exertion. Both of their breaths puffed out into little white clouds that blew away in the storm.

            “StarClan on a stick, Eaglestar! What-“ he sucked in more air like a cat who had just drowned. Narrow shoulders heaved. “I knew receiving nine lives from StarClan gives you strength, but not that much!”

            “It does?”

            “How do you think Stormstar was so strong? She had the blessing of StarClan. Cats don’t just magically have the ability to throw other cats across a clearing.” Bluemoon coughed and thumped his chest. “Come on, we have to keep going.”

            Eaglestar kept himself between Bluemoon and the wind as they galloped through the snowy forest. By the time the dark tabby caught the scent of many cats on the wind he was practically growling with nervousness and anticipation, but as they neared the temporary camp Stormstar had set up he realized that the smell was at least a night old.

            “No, no, no!” He gasped as they looked down over the rise to the empty clearing below. “Where is everybody?”

            “They must have had to retreat. Chestnut had a lot of rogues with her,” Bluemoon theorized. He looked as worried as Eaglestar felt as he charged down into the deserted camp. Eaglestar opened his mouth to taste the air for any signs of his clanmates or the late Thicket’s cats but found nothing. Quickly, they hurried deeper into clan ground.

            A screech out in the distance made them both freeze. Then they were both sprinting for the coast, Eaglestar overtaking Bluemoon with frantic pumps of his legs.

            _Don’t let me be too late, by all of StarClan! Please, just let them be okay._

            As they crashed through the thinning brush leading to the cliff’s edge the sounds of a fight became clearer. Eaglestar skidded to a halt and looked down over the drop to see a churning mass of cats on the rock below that he had called his home for nearly two season cycles now.

            He snarled in anger. “Bluemoon, wait here!”

            Without waiting for a response, he charged down the trail, hackles spiked up and teeth bared. By all of his nine lives, he was going to end this today if it killed him!

            He smashed into a skinny white tom that had been fighting with Fireflower, and they both flew for a considerable distance before landing on the rock, Eaglestar on top.

            “Where’s Redbriar?” he hissed, his nose nearly brushing the other tom’s.

            “The c-cave! P-Please don’t k-kill me!” the white rogue wheezed, pale yellow eyes wide with terror.

            He barely even heard Fireflower calling after him as he raced into the cave. His heart soared when he saw that the rogues who had previously been under Thicket’s and Redbriar’s control were now fighting on behalf of TideClan. Shade was guarding the nursery with the gray tabby king and the large gray molly who Eaglestar had met in their old camp. He nodded to them as he passed, and Shade jumped to her feet in joy.

            When he saw Redbriar she was underneath Otterscratch and Softstep, bellowing in rage and clawing fiercely at her former mate’s stomach. He barely even recognized her through the gore and delirious bloodthirst on her face.

            _“Halt!”_

            All three cats turned to look at him.

            It was Otterscratch who reacted first. The black tabby leapt off Redbriar and stood still beside her, green eyes widening.

            Then, he dropped into a deep bow. “Eaglestar!”

            “Eagle _star?”_ Softstep asked in confusion. Then his face split into a huge grin. “Eaglestar! You’re back!”

            All around them, cats turned to look at the strange scene unfolding. Some of the rogues Redbriar had brought began to back away in uncertainty as TideClan warriors began to take up the chant with a feverish passion.

            _“Eaglestar! Eaglestar! Eaglestar!”_

            To say the look on Redbriar’s face was priceless would have been a severe understatement. The torbie struggled to her feet, never breaking eye contact with him as her mouth opened and closed several times. Tufted ears were pinned flat against her skull. She looked almost… old.

            “You… you weren’t supposed to recover. Stormstar is dead, I _killed_ her. _I killed all of you!”_ Redbriar screeched, her voice rising into a howl. “I destroyed TideClan!”

            “No, you didn’t. You just made us really, _really_ angry.”

            Bluemoon slipped out of the tangle of cats, tail raised high and eyes narrowed in spite. “Poor Redbriar. Things just never seem to work out for you, do they?”

            “I told you to wait outside of camp!” Eaglestar hissed at him under his breath.

            “Too bad,” Bluemoon shot back. “I wasn’t about to let Redbriar get the piss taken out of her without me there.”

            Redbriar watched him with that same eerie stare. “It should… it should have been me going to the Mooncave. _I_ should have gotten my nine lives today, not you! I _hate_ you!”

            “Funny you should say that. You’re not a clan cat anymore, sister dear. You’re nothing,” he told her calmly. He lifted his head to the cave ceiling and filled his lungs with air. “I call upon my warrior ancestors to banish this demon from the story of TideClan! As of today, Redbriar is no more. She died in the car crash that killed my twoleg friend. The creature you see before you now is nothing but a murderer and a traitor!”

            “StarClan can’t protect you from me, brother,” the molly spat.

            Eaglestar looked down at her. “I don’t expect them to. Otterscratch, Softstep, and Fireflower, if you could help me escort her out to the forest.”

            The brothers pressed Redbriar between them as Fireflower made her way over to her sons. With her in the back, they made their way out of the cave and into the night.

            The snowstorm had cleared up almost completely while he had gone into the cave. Countless stars shone down on them as he led the four other cats into the forest. Red’s ragged breathing was almost deafening in the stillness of the shadows. It unnerved him, but he refused to show it, forcing himself to keep his pelt laying flat. He was so distracted by Red, in fact, that he didn’t even notice they were being followed until they were a considerable distance away. It was like when he had brought the molly to the makeshift camp. Creatures of every kind were following them once more, through the air, trees, and ground.

            He followed the cliff until they were out of clan territory, with what felt like the entire population of the coast following close by. They were watching him, he knew. He tried to not let it scare him.

 As soon as they were a considerable distance away, he turned and faced the rogue. Otterscratch, Softstep, and Fireflower stopped as well.

            “I met with Birdkit in StarClan,” he told her. Beside her, Softstep inhaled shakily.

            Red looked up at him even as her head hung low. “And?”

            “He gave me a life of happiness. To cherish all the good things the seasons bring me, and to remember that no matter how bad it gets, things always have a chance to get better.”

            She coughed. “So?”

            “I never thought that I would be spending the rest of my life without you,” he choked. “How could I enjoy the goodness in life without my sister? We were all we had, Red. How could have you messed that up so badly?”

            Something flickered in those empty amber eyes. It might have been regret, it might have been anger. Eaglestar really didn’t know. She didn’t talk to him again, not a single sound, even when his fangs closed around her throat and cut the life out of her at last.

            He laid close to her until he was sure she was dead. Softstep watched from nearby, betraying no emotion at the sight of his dead mate. Fireflower and Otterscratch pressed against his sides to keep him warm, all of their heads bowed against the wind. They stayed there for a long time, until Red’s blood froze into the snow and she began to stiffen.

            There was no fanfare to their retreat back into clan ground. Eaglestar led the way, of course, and he let himself go blank.

<> 

            The rest of the night was spent in a daze. He vaguely remembered helping Bluemoon treat the injured after he and all of the able-bodied warriors chased off the hostile rogues. No other TideClan warriors had been lost, and Shade had later reported that all of her cats were alive and accounted for.

            It was an overwhelming victory by any account, but it sure didn’t feel like it to the new clan leader. Stormstar was gone, not even to her third season cycle of life before fate snatched it away from her. One of the kindest, most loyal, incredible friends he’d ever had had died alone on the battlefield, and whose fault was that?

            _No._ Stormstar had insisted that her last fight had been her choice, and with that devastating bite to her chest from Red it was a strong possibility that would have killed her if she had not taken action instead.

            But that still didn’t make it hurt any less.

            “-ar? Um, Eaglestar?”

            The dark tabby was jolted out of his thoughts by a soft voice and looked up to Softstep, who was looking at him nervously. He realized that he had been completely zoned out.

            “Softstep, I’m sorry! I zoned out,” Eaglestar stammered, lurching to his feet.

            “N-No, you’re fine,” Softstep said hurriedly. “Um. I just… I wanted to thank you. For everything you’ve done.”

            “What? What did I do?”

            “You raised my children for me.”

            Eaglestar opened and closed his mouth several times. “I did?”

            “Yeah. After what happened with R- _her,_ I didn’t even know what to do with myself. The molly I loved since we were apprentices was a traitor. I know I should have been stronger for Spottedpaw and Dawnpaw and Pinepaw, but I…” he broke off, voice weakening.

            “It wasn’t that simple,” Eaglestar finished. Softstep nodded, exhaling deeply. The lanky golden tom was favoring his bad leg, but his pelt was no longer filthy and he had put some weight back on so that his ribs weren’t visible.

            “Do you think you can change that?” he asked.

            Softstep dipped his head again. “Yes sir.”

            Eaglestar gaped at him. “Uh… you don’t have to call me that. We’re, like, the same age.”

            “You’re clan leader now.” Softstep stretched out and began cleaning a paw. “By the way, you might want to pick a new deputy soon. Everybody will be expecting it.”

            “StarClan, you’re right!” Eaglestar exclaimed. He started for the nursery, about to go ask Redbriar for her opinion before he remembered. His companion seemed to know what was going through his head as well, because Softstep’s expression was gentle and understanding. The golden tabby bowed and left, leaving Eaglestar alone with his thoughts.

            He surveyed his clan and the rogues from where he laid on top of a raised portion of rock. Being towards the back of the cave, he could see everything that was happening. Bluemoon’s dark color-point fur stood out against the sea of tabbies and tortoiseshells and bicolors, and Eaglestar watched his lean form absently as he went around checking injuries. As far as he could tell, there was no hostility between the parties, which pleased him greatly.

            Who should he choose to be his deputy? Eaglestar mentally ran over a list of names. An older warrior would be ideal, he considered, to compliment his youth and inexperience. Fireflower, perhaps? She had always been there for him, nearly as much as her own sons. There was nobody in TideClan fiercer and more caring than the flame-colored queen.

            But she didn’t want to become deputy, he remembered. Fireflower wanted to raise kittens and help out the other queens in the nursery. He couldn’t imagine wanting to spend his days running around after shrieking children; he wasn’t _that_ brave.  

            Maybe Oceansong was the ideal choice. The blue-gray tom had always been even-tempered and considerate, even if he was a little quiet at times. Besides, Eaglestar had gotten wind a few times of him wanting the promotion.

            But he knew Oceansong wasn’t the right choice, either. Eaglestar knew that he and Oceansong were very, _very_ alike. Them trying to work together would yield no results. No, he needed somebody with a stronger temper than his.

            _The other senior warriors are all dead or retired now,_ he thought. _I’m not going to pick somebody who went off with the rogues, either. That wouldn’t go over well with anybody. StarClan, do I really need to pick somebody else my age?_

The answer hit him just as he was about to go give up and ask Bluemoon what he thought. It would be a risk, for sure, but so would be appointing any other of the younger warriors. But there was nobody else, save his beloved healer, that he trusted more.

            _StarClan, I hope this is the right choice._ Eaglestar rose to his feet, stretched with a groan, and made his way out into the chilly night.

            Cats were already gathering beneath the speaking rock before he had even jumped up. Impressed, Eaglestar leapt to the top and looked down on his clanmates and the rogues, and it struck him that this was his first time up there without Stormstar.

            He cleared his throat, chasing out the lump that had gathered there. “Before I begin, I must thank my clan for their support in me becoming their new leader. I only wish that it could have happened under better circumstances. We will never forget Stormstar and what she has done for us, whether we be of a clan or a colony.”

            The grief was still fresh in the eyes of the TideClan warriors, and he saw Fireflower weeping into Blossompelt’s shoulder. The elder had never been fond of Stormstar, but Eaglestar saw the misery in her eyes as clear as day. Her jaw was clenched tightly, as if she was holding back sorrow as well. Stone-eye stared at the ground, blinking furiously. The apprentices sniffled quietly not too far away.

            _Stormstar, can you see them? In the end, they all loved you. They always will._

            “I-“ His voice cracked, and he coughed. “I also extend my gratitude to the rogues who fought alongside us to drive out the tyrant who ruled over you for too many moons. Under the claws of abuse and terror, you prevailed and lived to see the day where freedom is attainable, where happiness is not a far-fetched dream after all. The only thing I ask of you now is to talk amongst yourselves and choose a new leader when the time comes. There was always meant to be two clans on this coast, and I will help undo what my TideClan ancestors broke apart.”

            “Um, Eaglestar, sir? Not trying to be disrespectful or anything, but… what if some cats don’t want to do that?” one tom asked, barely loud enough for him to hear.

            Eaglestar felt a swell of sympathy. _These poor cats barely have the courage to make any decisions for themselves!_ “Any cat who wishes to return to the twoleg colony is more than free to do so. Clan life is not for everybody. In fact, it can be _really_ hard at times. Anybody who wants to leave will go with my best wishes as soon as they are well enough to travel.”

            The tom relaxed, along with several other rogues. Eaglestar noticed many of the cats he used to call his enemies look up at him with a newfound respect.

            “Tomorrow will bring us fresh minds, but I have one more announcement to make. I say these words before StarClan, so that they hear and approve of my choice,” Eaglestar called out, remembering Stormstar’s words when she appointed him deputy, and Boulderfoot before him. The cats of TideClan stared up at him with wide eyes and bushed tails, and he saw all of his friends sitting by the apprentices, watching excitedly.

            “Otterscratch will be the new deputy of TideClan,” he told them.

            There was a heartbeat of dead silence. He saw Otterscratch’s eyes widen and his jaw drop. Batpaw started to giggle before reaching up and pushing his jaw back into place.

            Then, Fireflower screamed in delight and almost knocked over Blossompelt. TideClan cats young and old started cheering, and he saw Oceansong fall back in exasperation against Brightclaw, who laughed and punched his shoulder, but Eaglestar could see that the big blue tom wasn’t actually mad as he eagerly took up the chant of the new deputy’s name.

            _“Otterscratch! Otterscratch!”_ everybody yowled. The black tabby was shoved forward by a laughing Softstep before he regained control and galloped up to the speaking rock and jumped up next to Eaglestar. His dark green eyes were bright with emotion as he looked over at Eagleheart, who nodded to him respectfully.

            “Yo, this clan stuff seems pretty cool!” Eaglestar heard some rogue comment to her friend, who looked thoughtful.

            Eaglestar looked to the night sky above. For the first time in what felt like season cycles, he knew everything was going to be okay.

      


	51. Chapter 51

            The next day brought warm sunshine and the tracks of many cats making their way into the forest once more. Eaglestar padded alongside them with Otterscratch at his right and Bluemoon at his left, with a few other warriors following close behind. As the sun rose above the horizon, casting its golden rays across the coast, it touched the pelts of all the travelers and saturated the colors of their fur. Long fur, short fur, thick and thin. Old cats, young cats, lanky teenagers and kittens who had been sent off to hide during the fight. All different kinds of cats, determinedly making their way to a home they did not know yet.

            None of them headed for their old camp in an unspoken agreement. Eaglestar let them lead the way, let them choose. Shade was at the very front with her big gray molly friend, setting a swift pace despite her pregnancy. The paler tawny half of her face was facing him, and he could see her blazing hazel eyes facing straight ahead like StarClan themselves were guiding her way.

            _Who knows? Maybe they are._

            They left clan territory not too long after that and kept going. The forest became mossier and damper, sparkling snowmelt dripping off branches and running downhill in little rivulets. The travelers followed them instinctively, letting the icy water rush around their paws. Kits squealed in delight and splashed around. The air around them warmed as the sun continued to rise, encouraging critters to come out of their dens to forage for food. Eaglestar told Shade to keep the group moving while he took his warriors and three rogues out for a hunting expedition.

            They came back with several birds, a rabbit, and a few lemmings. The cats who were hungry ate them gratefully, and only then did Eaglestar catch something for himself and the TideClan warriors with him.

A clean smell filled the air after a while longer- the scent of fresh water.

            Shade’s ears pricked, and she galloped again to push through some ferns. She must have liked what she was looking at, because her tail shot right up, and she nosed her way in. Eaglestar followed her, curious. When he saw what she had found, he started purring.

            A clear, flowing stream trickled through a large sandy hollow that was surrounded by rock, spacious enough to accommodate many, many cats. Perhaps it had been the entrance to a cave once upon a time but had filled in over countless season cycles. Hemlocks and pines towered over the dip in the earth and casted dappled shade across the ground. Birds chirped above them in the branches, almost as if they were welcoming the rogues home.

            “I like this,” Shade told him as she came up to him and sat down heavily. _“Damn,_ these kits are probably just gonna walk right out of me, because that’s all I’ve been doing since I woke up in your damp-ass hole by the sea.”

            “Otterscratch, organize another hunting party. Keep your nose out for hostiles,” Eaglestar told the black tabby, chuckling. Otterscratch snapped to attention and rounded up some of the rogues and took them out to the forest.

            Eaglestar watched as the queens (and one king) rounded up the kits and herded them into a hollow in the rock wall. The yells of excited kits quickly hushed as their parents quieted them down to go to sleep. Older cats trotted over on rickety joints to another niche adjacent to the new nursery, filing in and wordlessly collapsing into the sand. Adults his own age and older milled around the clearing, curling up and passing out on the spot. A few younger toms and mollies that would have been apprentices if they were clan cats dabbed at the stream that ran through the hollow before turning on each other, turning their little area of camp into a full splash-war zone.

            “Who do you think will be a good leader?” he asked Shade.

            Hazel eyes were distant when he looked over to the mercenary. The tortoiseshell’s half-black, half-tawny face gave her a slightly unsettling air, almost as if she existed partly in this world and partly in the next.

            “Me.”

            Eaglestar blinked in surprise. “You want to lead?”

            “Oh, yes. These cats, Eaglestar,” she said, gesturing around her. “These cats are what I live for now. When I was fighting those rogues back at your cave it all came to me. It was like all of my former reasons to stay on this earth faded away like mist in sunlight, and then everything I did… I knew it was for the colony that gave me a family. And not just these little goblins.” Shade patted her swollen belly.

            “It’s a big responsibility,” he warned.

            “I have no doubt.”

            “Then if your peers agree you shall be clan leader,” Eaglestar told her. “The Mooncave isn’t too far from here, actually...”

            “The what?”

            “Oh, you’ll see.”

            It was then Otterscratch and his patrol came back, carrying loads of prey. Everybody was very happy to see them, and all of the cats who hadn’t eaten earlier eagerly gobbled down their share. Eaglestar waited until they were done, and then he gestured for Bluemoon and Otterscratch to follow him.

            He jumped up to a ledge in the rock wall. Bluemoon and Otterscratch leapt after him. “Everybody old enough to fight, if I could have your attention!”

            Cats who had been napping jerked awake and stared up at him blearily. A queen stuck her head out of the nursery and grunted. Nearby, the elders slithered out of their new den and plopped down just outside of it. The apprentice-aged cats slowly winded down their splashing game, glancing up at him reluctantly.

            “Thank you. I hate to interrupt you all so soon after getting settled into your new home but there are a few pressing issues we need to address,” he began. “First, we need to talk to you about the warrior code. Being a clan isn’t just living in the forest and staring at stars.”

            “The warrior what?” an elder repeated.

            “The warrior _code,”_ Eaglestar said, louder. “The set of rules by which TideClan lives by. Of course, your code will be a bit different. Bluemoon?”

            “The first rule is that you must defend your clan at all costs, even with your life,” the healer explained. “The second is that you cannot trespass on the territory of other cats. The third is queens, kits, and elders eat first. Fourth, prey is killed only to be eaten. They are living things just as we are.”

            “Hold up,” one young tom yowled. “They’re just food! I’ve seen rocks with more sense than a mouse.”

            “And yet I’ve talked with all kinds of animals. They are _people,_ they think and have families and lives just like we do. Other creatures are not our playthings,” Eaglestar said sternly, thumping his tail against the rock in irritation. The tom who had protested just rolled his eyes and started cleaning his paw.

            Otterscratch picked up the list. “The fifth rule is that kittens must be six moons old to become an apprentice. Then, they become a warrior at around one season cycle old. The sixth rule is all newly promoted warriors sit a silent vigil for one night. Seven, the deputy becomes leader after the current leader dies, like what Eaglestar did after… after Stormstar died.”

            Eaglestar felt his heart pang in agony.

            “The eighth is that a new deputy must be chosen before the next moonhigh. The ninth, to treat every cat with respect, no matter the age, circumstance of birth, sex, or presence of a disability. Above all, love your clanmates, for they are your family, if not by blood then by spirit.” Bluemoon nodded to the rogues assembled below. “It’s a lot, but you’ll get the hang of it.”

            Some cats muttered doubtfully to each other, but they seemed to have gotten the gist of it. The tom who had challenged Eaglestar earlier just yawned. Eaglestar locked eyes with him, and he flattened his ears. “Then there’s the subject of who is going to become your new leader. I already have one contender for the position.”

            Cats looked at each other uneasily, none of them speaking, before staring back up at him. An elder coughed.

            Finally, a tabby molly Spottedpaw’s age spoke up. “Um, aren’t you going to lead us?”

            “Ah, no, dear. I’m the leader of _TideClan,_ not you guys. I couldn’t do that,” Eaglestar told her, laughing a little.

            “Who’s the cat who said they’d like to be leader?” an elder shouted.

            “Well, if nobody else wants to campaign-“

            “I’ll become leader!” somebody yowled. The same young tom from before strutted forward, puffing his chest out and grinning at the crowd around him. He was a ginger-and-white fellow, big for his age, with notches decorating both of his ears and a glint of trouble plainly visible in those brilliant green eyes. Swaggering up to the ledge, he sat down before Eaglestar, Otterscratch, and Bluemoon and leered at them.

            “You’re a bit young, aren’t you?” Otterscratch snorted.

            “Me? You three are barely older than I am. Besides, I’m a great fighter and team leader. I led a battle party during the fight with Chestnut’s cats,” he boasted.

            “Is that so,” Eaglestar asked without enthusiasm, even though it wasn’t really a question. _StarClan, give me the strength._

            “You bet. _I’m_ what my colony needs. Name’s Baron, by the way.” Baron lifted his chin.

            “Nice to meet you, Baron,” Eaglestar told him, trying to sound kindly as possible. Beside him, Otterscratch made a sound of disgust.

            “Yeah. So, I’m leader now, right? Is there some kind of clan ceremony for that?” the ginger tom demanded.

            “Not so fast!”

            Shade came forward from beside the gray tabby king. Her hazel eyes were narrowed at Baron. “Eaglestar said there was another challenger for the leadership of this new clan, remember? I am she.”

            Baron blinked, and then burst out laughing. “You’re serious, right? The _mercenary?_ Yeah, that would end well. You’re not even a real member of our group!”

            “I took Hunter over there as my mate and will soon bear his kits.” Shade jerked her head towards a tall, lanky brown tabby. “By law I am now a full member of this colony. I’ve lived with you lot for a full season cycle as well. Any other questions?”

            “Actually, yeah, while we’re on the subject of kits. You’re _pregnant._ Can a pregnant queen _really_ be trusted to lead well? I mean, your hormones are all over the place. What if you do something crazy and get people killed?” Baron sneered.

            Several snarls came from the queens and king by the nursery, but Baron ignored them as he stalked towards Shade. Eaglestar tensed, ready to leap down to defend his friend, but Shade remained calm.

            “I know my body well, Baron, thanks for asking. Rest assured, pregnant cats are far more capable than you think, and if needed the cat I choose as my deputy will assume some of my duties,” the tortoiseshell explained.

            “Well, I’m still clearly best suited for leadership. If you don’t back down, I’ll just have to beat you down until you do!” Baron snarled, shoving his face into Shade’s.

            Several gasps came from the cats around the hollow, including Eaglestar himself. Would Baron really attack an expecting cat?

            He saw Fireflower down below, claws unsheathed and ready to tear the tom apart to protect her fellow queen. The gray tabby king was hissing furiously at Baron, backed up by the other rogue queens.

            But Shade just rose to her feet and stretched out a hind leg. “Very well. I couldn’t live with myself if I let my colony come under the control of yet _another_ power-hungry bastard.”

            It happened so quickly he almost didn’t figure out what had happened.

            One moment Baron was on his feet, spitting angrily at Shade, the next he was flat on his back with a yelp. Four rows of blood sliced down his belly, turning white fur spiky and wet. Shade darted to the left when Baron struck back and nearly cut her cheek. She lunged forward and sank her fangs into his hind leg, tearing an impressively sized chunk of flesh out of it, and spitting it out before Baron lashed out at her again with a scream of pain.

            The ginger-and-white tom finally scrambled to his feet, blood soaking through his leg fur and dripping on to the sandy ground. Green eyes were wide with shock, like he couldn’t believe the last few heartbeats’ worth of time had really just transpired. Short, shallow gasps escaped his mouth, before it set back into an angry grimace and he leapt at Shade.

            She sidestepped so fast her form blurred and swiped at Baron as he passed her. The tom screeched as he skidded into the dirt, face first, and whirled around to attack again, but he wasn’t nearly as agile as the slender Shade. Said tortoiseshell was already raking her claws across Baron’s muzzle, smirking. Baron fell back with a squeal and landed on his back.

            Bluemoon leapt to his feet. “StarClan has chosen! And, uh… Shade’s clearly the better fighter and thinker. Yeah.”

            “The mercenary we recruited many moons ago is no more!” The gray tabby king strode forward to stand beside Shade. “Now, this brave cat will be our leader!”

            “Thank you, Puddle,” Shade purred, shaking herself off. A swell of cheers rose from the hollow and echoed into the surrounding forest.

            “Are you alright?” Hunter, the tall brown tabby shoved his way through the crowd and started sniffing Shade up and down, nosing her pregnant belly.      

            Shade raised her head, smug and unharmed. “I am. Eaglestar, what do you think?”

            He smiled down at her, and then at the rogues. “My friends, is this the cat you wish to lead you?”

            _“Yes!”_ was the answer, yowled enthusiastically by nearly every cat. Many of them looked relieved, as if they were glad Shade had won the fight, or maybe they just didn’t want to have to lead themselves. Again, Eaglestar was nearly overwhelmed with sadness with how crushed these cats had become under Thicket, and even more, Red.

            Baron, on the other paw, was still groaning and bleeding on the ground. When approached by Bluemoon, he just hissed at the healer before dragging himself off to an empty corner of the hollow to lick his wounds. Bluemoon raised a brow as he watched him go, but then flicked an ear in irritation and jumped back up to sit next to Eaglestar.

            “Well, that went better than I thought it would,” Otterscratch muttered.

            Eaglestar balked at him. “Are you serious? That bastard tom could have killed Shade!”

            “Yeah, but he didn’t.”

            Eaglestar rolled his eyes and leaped down to greet Shade. Beside her, Hunter turned to him with curiosity and a hint of suspicion evident in his brown eyes. For the first time, Eaglestar realized Shade’s mate had only a short stub of a tail.

            Shade cackled. “Baron’s gonna hate me until he’s dead in the dirt! Well, he already did hate me, but whatever. Now, what’s next?”

            “We go to the Mooncave,” Eaglestar told her. “There, you will meet StarClan and receive your nine lives.”

            “Meet who?” she spluttered, but then Hunter butted in.

            “Will it be dangerous for the kits?” he demanded.

            Eaglestar swallowed nervously as he realized he had no idea what kind of effects of such an event would do to unborn kits. Bluemoon himself had said it himself- the dark tabby had died when he received his new name and lives. He couldn’t ask Shade to partake in such a ceremony if her children were at risk!

            “StarClan will take care of her,” Bluemoon promised Hunter.

            Hunter looked doubtful, glancing over at Shade to see what his mate was thinking. The tortoiseshell bumped her shoulder to his with a good-natured growl and did her best to reassure him. “I’ll be fine, babe. I trust Eaglestar, and I trust these spirits.”

            “Stay safe,” he told her. His brown eyes warmed, and he nodded to Shade as she padded towards Eaglestar. Almost as if in a dream, he bounded up the short series of ledges that led up to the forest, with the tortoiseshell right behind him.

            She trotted to walk beside him as they headed into the forest. Eaglestar knew he Mooncave wouldn’t be too far away. By the end of that day, this new clan would have their leader, he would return home with his friends and family, and everything would be perfect once more.

            They threaded through the forest together as the sun began to dip below the tops of the trees. Dappled shadows across the ground cast Shade into near invisiblity, her lean but pregnant form melting into both darkness and shine.

            “What will you name them?” Eaglestar asked delightedly.

            White fangs flashed in a grin. “How am I supposed to know what to name them if I don’t even know them yet?”

            “Oh. But if you have any mollies they’ll most likely be tortoiseshell, and if you have toms they’ll be dark tabbies like Hunter, right?”

            “Yeah, but I don’t _know_ them. What if one of them loves to run? What if I have a little fighter born with eager claws? Or a sweet little peacemaker with a silver tongue? I’d much rather name them then,” Shade explained.

            “Huh. Guess I never thought about that.” Eaglestar flicked his tail. Then again, it wasn’t like he was ever going to pop out kittens. Or sire any.

            The thought made his heart sink as the realization hit him. Looking back, he supposed it was kind of obvious, but in the moment, it wasn’t so much a come-to-StarClan understanding within himself as a total shock to his system.

_I want to be a father._

            If Shade noticed his change in demeanor, she didn’t say anything. Then again, she never really got the chance to before two slinky forms stepped out in front of them, russet fur gleaming gold in the winter sunshine.

            “Kannaq! Yura!” he exclaimed, delighted. “It’s so nice to see you two! How is your mother? Come, walk with us.”

            Kannaq wagged his tail. “Mother is doing alright! Fought off bad dogs last morn. Won. Tired and hungry, though.”

            “Give her my congratulations,” Eaglestar purred.

            “We will!” Kannaq said. Yura didn’t meet his eyes, even through she did wag her tail.

            Next to him, he sensed Shade retreating back a few steps. He turned to her and jolted when he saw the anger and fear tensing up her entire body.

            “Shade, what’s wrong? It’s just Kannaq and Yura. They fought Red with us, remember?” he asked.

            “I have a bad feeling,” she hissed.

            “Mother is also having bad feelings,” Kannaq huffed, looking sympathetic. “Worn out from fight. Needs food to feel better. Sorry, cat friend.”

            Eaglestar was confused. “What are you sorry for?”

            Everything happened almost at the same time. Shade bolted and fled up the nearest pine. Yura lunged at her with a growl, mouth wide with glittering canines, and almost took off the tip of her tail. Kannaq charged Eaglestar, barking determinedly.

            With a yowl of terror he leapt back, pelt automatically fluffing up to make himself look as huge as possible. He lashed out and raked his claws across Kannaq’s face, making the dog fox yelp in pain. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Yura barking and snarling up a storm as she clawed at the tree trunk. On a lower branch of the pine, Shade screeched down at her, the sound loud enough to make Eaglestar’s ears ring.

            _“Shade!”_ He slashed hard down Kannaq’s face and met bone beneath a claw. He shrieked, blood welling out of one eye socket, and scrambled back, only to trip over a tree root and fall on his behind. Eaglestar leapt at his sister and sank his fangs into her scruff.

            Yura screeched in rage and whipped around and around, trying to grab ahold of him. The tabby dug in and held on for dear life as she bucked and whirled. Above them, he heard Shade howling for him, but as his mouth was full of fox fur he could not respond.

            An unseen force slammed into his side and sent him flying off the vixen. Eaglestar found himself muzzle-to-muzzle with a growling Kannaq, the young dog looking even more terrifying with the blood soaking the ginger-and-white fur into his face.

            “You ruined my eye,” he growled. “First fate took my leg, and now half of my sight?”

            “I’m so sorry,” Eaglestar gasped. “I-I didn’t mean to… _run, Shade, run!”_

            The last thing he saw was Kannaq’s fangs coming down at his throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a couple more chapters, my dudes! Thanks for reading thus far. I didn't think so many people would like this!


	52. Chapter 52

            He woke with a groan, feeling as if his entire body was spinning. When the light that came in through his peeked lashes was not gold, but silver, the tabby jumped up with a sharp gasp to behold the sight before him.

            _StarClan._

            Sprawled out a few tail-lengths away was Rosepetal. She appeared to have been sleeping, but as Eaglestar slowly pushed himself upright she perked right up. Green eyes twinkled with miniature stars as he met her gaze. “Hey! ‘Bout time you woke up.”

            “… Ungh.” Eaglestar squeezed his eyes shut against his pounding head, but even as he rested on the wet sand with the waves washing around them, he began to feel better. “What…”

            The fight came rushing back to him- Kannaq and Yura, Shade, the rip of his own claws in the dog fox’s eye socket.

            _“Shade!”_ He sprung to his feet, looking around wildly.

            “Whoa, Eaglestar, _Eaglestar,”_ Rosepetal barked, batting his cheek roughly. “You’re fine. Shade’s fine. You’ve just… you lost your first life.”

            For a few heartbeats, Eaglestar could do nothing but stare down at her as he caught his breath. Rosepetal’s stern expression slowly morphed into sympathy, and she slowly sat back down as another rush of seawater coursed around their paws. Above them, the multicolored heavens twinkled with hues Eaglestar couldn’t recall seeing in the mortal world.

            “You need to be more careful from now on. Stormstar told me losing lives is a slippery slope,” Rosepetal said softly.

            “Where is she?” he asked.

            “Hey, being a professional StarClan warrior doesn’t come immediately. She’s probably off with some older spirits, learning about guiding the living,” the tortoiseshell explained, a wry glint in her green eyes.

            “… Oh. Did you have to do that?”

            “Don’t change the subject! As your friend, you have to do more to put yourself first,” Rosepetal insisted, ears flat against her head. “You’re going to be around for a long time, Eaglestar, if I and the others you knew in TideClan have anything to say about it. You need to, because you have to be the clan leader.”

            “I died to save Shade,” he defended, the words coming oddly from his mouth.

            He had _died._ Stars above, that was strange to say. Not that a whole lot of other people got to say something as such, either.

            “I know. It was the right thing to do, too. But that doesn’t mean I like it,” Rosepetal huffed. “Bluemoon isn’t going to like it, either.”

            Eaglestar flinched. “Rosepetal, you… do the others know?”

            “Uh, yeah? It’s pretty obvious. At least to us, at least.”

 _Oh, damn. I’m screwed._ “I know I’m breaking the warrior code. And the Code of Healers. But I love him, and I would _never_ do anything to pull him away from his duties! I don’t care what I have to do to prove myself to StarClan that I can be with Bluemoon, I’ll do it! Please, Rosepetal, you have to tell them that-”

            “Eaglestar.”

            “I’m sorry for being so selfish and inconsiderate of the rules-!”

            “Eaglestar!” He suddenly found a black, fluffy paw over his mouth, preventing him from speaking. “Eaglestar. We’re not angry.”

            He blinked. “Wait, what?”

            “We’re. Not. Angry! You and Bluemoon were destined for each other the moment you fell into the ocean. It was quite literally written in the stars,” Rosepetal explained, half-laughing as she gestured to the silvery world around them. “StarClan didn’t _make the rules._ The living did. We appreciate the whole gesture of undying loyalty or whatever, but we really _don’t_ care what you do with your lives as long as you remember and respect us.”

            “You’re… I’m not going to be punished? Or Bluemoon?” he spluttered, still in shock as to what Rosepetal was telling him.

            “Eaglestar, we’re not _gods._ StarClan is not a tribe of all-knowing lawmakers that dictate what happens in the universe as we know it. We’re your _family._ We’re your friends, and we will be here for you and the two clans until the end of time.”

            The dark tabby couldn’t believe what he was hearing. A huge weight began to lift from his shoulders, dissipating into the salty air around him. If what Rosepetal saying was true, then… then he was free.

He was free to be with Bluemoon.

            The tortoiseshell thumped her forehead against his chest, purring loudly. “Go. Shade awaits your return.”

            “Rosepetal,” he choked, gratitude overwhelming him, but the StarClan spirit just touched her nose to his, and then he was falling back through the endless starry ocean.

<> 

            The first thing he was aware of was claws poking his side, sharp as thorns and just as annoying. Grunting, he forced his sticky eyelids open, only to be met with a sharp screech that nearly deafened him.

            Eaglestar yelped and scrabbled to his paws. His gaze immediately fixed on the tortoiseshell in front of him- not Rosepetal, but still a familiar face. Her fur was bloody and spiky, especially on her paws and muzzle.

            “Oh, hi, Shade,” he snorted. “Sorry about that.”

            “What.” It wasn’t a question. “What the absolute… you… you were _dead!_ I heard your heart give out!” Shade yowled. Hazel orbs blazed with fire. She was _furious,_ and Eaglestar understood why, and so he did his best to appear more sympathetic to the shocked she-cat.

            “I was,” he agreed, dipping his head down as far as it would go to inspect his neck. Just as he had seen Stormstar’s wounds close up after she lost a life, his own skin was now good as new. No bite marks. No fresh blood, other than the dark liquid clumping the front of his mane. It had already dried up. _Great, that’ll take forever to get out._

            “You were? That’s _impossible!_ People can’t just can’t…” her voice trailed off as realization began to take over her angular eyes. She stared past him for a while, still breathing heavily, before slowly turning to look back into his eyes.

            “Are you okay? The stress can’t be good for the kits,” Eaglestar figured out, leaning down to sniff her carefully. The shock-scent was still there, but it was fading, and he figured out the lanky queen would be okay.

            “I’m… okay,” Shade said blandly. “But… but it’s true, then. It’s all true. This StarClan of yours is really there. It… it can give cats power.”

            “Uh, that’s true, yeah. I’m taking you to them so you can get your own nine lives,” Eaglestar told her, a bit worried. “Are you sure you’re going to be alright?”

            Shade stared at him in awe, her stunned features slowly turning into a mask of delight. Something about her made Eaglestar feel a little dazed; she always did, just a bit, but Shade was, well… shady. That was just who she was as a person.

            “Yes. Please, take me to these StarClan cats,” she breathed.

            Eaglestar nodded to the north, where the Mooncave would be waiting for them. With a grunt, Shade heaved her pregnant self from the snow and dirt and padded after him. The sun was already beginning to dip down below the ocean, so Eaglestar kept his ears open for signs of any other predators who might want an easy meal. Next to him, the tortoiseshell began to pant from the exertion of carrying kits. If a coyote found them, Eaglestar doubted he would have the strength to fight it off without losing another life.

            _What am I going to tell Uki?_ he wondered, guilt tugging at his heart. Not only had he fought her children, he had _half-blinded_ her disabled son. She was going to be out for his blood, no doubt, and Eaglestar couldn’t blame her one bit.

            It was a long time before either of them spoke again.

            “What else can StarClan do?” Shade asked, heaving a huge breath.

            “Well, I’ve had… dreams. From them. They can guide the living through visions, prophecies, signs in the mortal world… that reminds me, we need to find your clan a healer. They take care of other cats and communicate with StarClan,” Eaglestar rattled off.

            “How do we do that?”

            “Well, I’ll suppose we’ll receive a sign.”

            “… Huh.”

            Shade opened her mouth to ask something else, but then her back legs buckled underneath her body. A powerful spasm rippled down her flanks.

            “Shade!”

Eaglestar darted to her side, but the tortoiseshell just hissed in pain and straightened back out. “We don’t have a lot of time. They’ll be here soon.”

“Oh, _shit._ Lean on me, come on!” he cried, and Shade used him as a crutch as they hobbled as fast as they could towards the shore. The shallow cliff leading down to the beach was icy. Instructing Shade to stay back, Eaglestar scrambled down first, and then beckoned for her to come on down the cliff. Claws all the way out, the queen obeyed, grimacing as a cramp hit her halfway down the rock. Eaglestar barely had enough time to catch her before she hit the icy sand.

            “You alright?” he asked frantically.

            “I’m in _labor!”_ she screeched.

            “Okay, okay!”

            Eaglestar helped her to her feet, and all but dragged her to the mouth of the cave.

            He saw the fear in her eyes as she took in the dark tunnel before them. Even though they didn’t have a lot of time left, he understood her panic. That dark cave before the pool wasn’t his favorite thing in the world, either.

            “Nothing in there can hurt you,” he promised.

            “What if I get stuck?” Shade rasped.

            “If I can squeeze my fat ass through there, so can you.”

            “Fair enough.”

            Hesitantly, as if she was still frightened of something jumping out at her from the darkness, Shade slunk into the narrow tunnel before pausing to glance back at Eaglestar. He could tell she didn’t like being in such a vulnerable state with a cat she barely knew, much less a tom. As she disappeared from view, the dark tabby made sure he gave her a good head start so he didn’t crowd her in the tight quarters.

            “How are you holding up?” he asked once they were both inside.

            “Gods, I’ve never been in such a dark place. Do your ancestor-spirits not need to see?” Shade muttered, her dry voice echoing off the stone.

            “They’re not… here, in the world of the living. It’s complicated. You’ll go to sleep in this cavern with a pool, and then they’ll bring you to where they are in the stars.”

            For the first time since he met the mysterious tortoiseshell, he caught a whiff of her fear-scent. _She’s trying to not seem afraid._ “You’re not going to die, Shade. I promise.”

            Just as he said that, he recalled when he had received his own nine lives. Bluemoon claimed that his heart had stopped. But he hadn’t really died, not _really,_ or else he would only have eight lives when he woke. Shade would be fine, he reasoned, even as anxiety made his gut roll uncomfortably. _StarClan would never hurt an innocent cat._

            She said nothing, and the fear-scent did not go away as they crawled deeper and deeper into the earth. Eaglestar heard her breathing hitch, and he realized she must be having another contraction. The sound of her footfalls ceased.

He came to a stop as well, and for a long moment the only thing he heard was the labored breathing of the other cat. Then, the pounding of his heart in his chest increased and decreased in measures. The rock beneath him was cold as ice as he bowed his head in prayer and touched his nose to the tunnel floor.

            “… Shade?” he finally dared to whisper.

            “Here. Let’s keep going.”

            “We can turn back if you need to.”

            “How much longer?”

            “Any moment now. You’ll be able to see the cavern.”

            “Then we finish what we started.”

            “Okay.”

            They picked up the pace again, Eaglestar now following at a lesser distance than before out of worry. When Shade didn’t warn him away or give off more fear-scent he relaxed a little. Queens were vicious when they wanted to be. _And kings,_ he reminded himself.

            Shade suddenly froze. A heartbeat later Eaglestar saw what she was looking at: a dim blue light coming from not too far ahead.

            “Is that it?”

            “Yes, it glows because- Shade!”

            The tortoiseshell was already scrambling towards the cavern as fast as she could. With a yelp, Eaglestar charged after her. His paw pads scraped hard against the rock, claws catching against little nooks and crannies.

            When he burst into the Mooncave he just about bowled over Shade. She barely even seemed to notice him as she stared at the scene before her, completely awestruck. As Eaglestar managed to catch his breath he was reminded of his own reaction to the sacred hollow. He had only been an apprentice, off with Bluemoon on some crazy scheme to see if StarClan could help Stormstar win favor over her reluctant clanmates. It hadn’t really worked, but it was still an experience he would never forget.

            “… Oh,” she whispered.

            He smiled. “I know.”

            “H-How…?”

            “They’re worms. Amazing, isn’t it?”

            “Amazing… doesn’t even cover it.” Carefully, Shade approached the clear pool at the center of the cavern. It rippled ever so slightly as she touched a single toe to it. With a flick of her tail, she leaned back in bewilderment. “How is the water _warm?_ It’s freezing everywhere else in here!”

            “It’s fed and drained by little cracks in the rocks that lead to other water sources. That’s what Bluemoon told me, anyway,” Eaglestar explained.

            A look of greedy delight spread over the queen’s face that was cut off by another spasm. Hard muscles rippled under dark tortoiseshell fur. “Ugh!”

            Eaglestar darted to her side, and Shade collapsed against him as they waded into the water. Very slowly, he lowered her down so that she was laying on her side with her narrow head resting on his paws.

            “Just a little bit longer. You have to go to sleep now,” he urged.

            “No problem there, I’m… so tired…” she mumbled. Heavy eyelids slid closed, and it wasn’t a couple of moments before Shade was asleep.

As if it was contagious, Eaglestar felt his own head become increasingly fuzzy despite his worry for his pregnant companion. Against his will, he listed forward against his front legs, and then he was falling into a deep slumber.

<> 

            For the second time that night, Eaglestar awoke in StarClan.

            This time was different; he felt no panic as he rose to his paws and glanced over at a wide-eyed Shade. The tortoiseshell looked completely stricken as she beheld the countless spirits before them, crowding the beach and cliffs and forest’s edge. They galloped through the air and splashed up from the waves to encircle them, a sea of glittering pelts and quicksilver eyes that glowed like the moon itself. The sweet, salty ocean breeze washed over them and ruffled Eaglestar’s fur. It was almost as good as Bluemoon’s kisses. He wished that the small tom could have been with them for this, but he had decided to leave him behind to look after the still battle-worn cats.

            “Gods above and below,” she said hoarsely.

            Eaglestar nodded. Looking out over the masses, he spotted several familiar faces- Mousefoot, Rainfeather, Darkpaw with Birdkit riding on his shoulders. His nephew waved excitedly, and Eaglestar laughed and raised a paw in greeting. He wished more than anything to run over to the kitten and hold him close, but now was not the time.

            Now, it was time to rebuild the lost clan of the forest.

            _This is actually happening,_ he thought as a flare of adrenaline surged through his gut, burning like fire in his excitement. _We can finally fix what has been broken._

            The crowd parted to admit a massive silver tabby with ocean green eyes, twinkling with humor and a kind of sad delight. “Hello, Shade. I am Tidestar, the first leader of TideClan. It is I who defeated your ancestors so many season cycles ago, and now, I am here to watch them be honored as a true clan at last.”

            Shade stared up at her, actually looking a bit cowed for once, but Eaglestar felt a flash of anger at the tabby queen’s words.

            Feeling his pelt prickle in anger, he marched right up to her. “You can say how happy you are to see the cats you exiled be acknowledged all you like, Tidestar. I don’t doubt that’s true. But I feel like there’s something missing here.”

            Tidestar blinked down at him, stunned. “Is everything alright, boy?”

            “No. I need you to say it for them. For _all_ of them. I need you to look out at all of StarClan and admit that you were wrong. You need to say that you’re sorry!” he shouted.

            Gasps hit Eaglestar’s ears like blows from an enemy.

            “Are you out of your mind?” Shade hissed.

            For the space of a tiny infinity, Tidestar gaped down at him with a slack jaw. Her hackles spiked up, making her appear even bigger.

            He stepped closer to her so that they were staring into each other’s eyes. “Well?”

            “Do you know who I am, Eaglestar?” she demanded.

            “I know very well who you are, _Tidestar._ Coast-Mother. The first legend of our culture. A leader unlike any cat has ever seen. The famed Daughter of the Sea. But you also banished an entire clan for the terroristic actions of one awful ruler. You started a terrible cycle of violence and bloodshed that lasted for longer than anybody here can count! Have you no remorse for all the cats that came here before their rightful time?” he cried. “It is true that TideClan was hurt as well by all of this, but that doesn’t mean we get to brush off the suffering of others. There is no innocent party in this war you created. And now, it’s time for you to face your wrongdoings once and for all.”

            “I-I do feel terrible for all of that!” Tidestar spluttered, backing away from him, bravado crumbling away like sand in the wind. “I never said I didn’t!”

            “Then tell them!”

            Her jaws opened and closed rapidly, again and again, before she froze in place before him, Shade, and all of StarClan. Eaglestar didn’t dare break his gaze in their intense staring contest. All around them, spirits shifted and muttered to each other in disbelief. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Shade’s back fur stand straight up.

            Another wave swept past his feet and chilled his toes. When it washed up to Tidestar’s lowered hindquarters she jumped up, jolted out of her daze by the chilly water. She shook herself, spraying little droplets everywhere before backing further up the beach.

            Eaglestar saw Birdkit watch with wide eyes as the crowd slowly began to settle down, directing their attention from one another to the first leader of the ocean cats. Watching.

            Waiting.

            He and Tidestar locked eyes one more time. There was a plea on her black-striped face, the first trace of fear Eaglestar had ever seen on the fearsome warrior. It was obvious what she was asking.

_Don’t make me do this._

            Eaglestar simply stepped back and sat down. At last, Tidestar slowly turned from him and Shade to the rest of StarClan.

            “Two hundred season cycles ago, I sought to create a great tribe of cats that would live off the sea,” she began, voice shaking but steadily becoming more powerful. “It was the greatest thing I had ever created. And so when a band of rogues settled into the forest nearby I became afraid- I was afraid. Their leader and his second-in-command, Lilith, killed my mother. I knew it was simply because Lilith chased her out into a road and got her hit by a car, but that didn’t matter to me. I wanted them _out.”_

            Many of the StarClan cats looked stunned. It was obvious this was the first time they were hearing the original version of this tale.

            Tidestar sucked in a huge breath before slowly letting it out. “It was I who led the first assault on them and demanded that they leave the shores. When they refused, it resulted in the chaos that you all know of today. All of it was my fault. Blinded by anger and the foolishness of youth, I am the one truly responsible for the destruction of the lost clan!”

            Her head bowed low in grief. “And now, not even the name of their people remains. I can only hope with Shade’s leadership two clans will always live together by the ocean; how it was _always_ meant to be. Oh, Lilith, Talon… I am _so sorry!_ How I wish you and your cats were here with us in these heavens!”

            Eaglestar stared at her, the legend revealed as guilty and grieving.

            One of the starry ghosts stepped out behind a pair of mollies and marched over to Tidestar, her flattened ears betraying her anger. “Daughter, is this true?”

            Tidestar cringed. “… Yes.”

            At her final admission of her crimes, StarClan exploded into furious chatter. The mollies and the queen glared at Tidestar, and Eaglestar realized that the mollies must be the former clan leader’s sisters.

            “Then go in shame. You have no right to claim attention in another clan’s moment of glory, much less the one that you willingly ruined,” Tidestar’s mother ordered, her voice cold enough to make a few spirits back up warily.

            Tidestar crouched low in submission before slinking away from the mass of cats, head and tail practically brushing the ground. As soon as she was out of sight, her mother turned and bowed to Shade. “I wish we could talk more, young queen, but your kittens will be born soon. Are you ready to receive your nine lives?”

            Shade raised her chin, pale eyes flashing with determination. “I am.”

            “Then may our blessings see you through these trials.” The older molly backed away and took her seat beside her daughters just as a pale gray tom came forward to greet Shade.

            “Foggywave!” Eaglestar cried, delighted.

            “Long time no see, boy! Tell Blossompelt I said hello,” he chuckled. Eaglestar bumped muzzles with the now healthy and muscular warrior before he turned to Shade. “I was an elder of my clan, and now I will give my energy to help serve yours. With this life I give you respect. Use it to honor those who can no longer fight, and those who do despite all odds.”

            He touched his nose to Shade’s, and Eaglestar saw the exact moment the pain hit her. The tortoiseshell’s mouth opened in a soundless shriek. It lasted for the space of three, four, five heartbeats, before Foggywave broke away to leave her gasping for breath.

            The blind tom left without a word, and Shade stared after him in shock. “Are… are they all gonna be like that? Eaglestar, I don’t know if I can…”

            “They won’t,” he promised. The memory alone of receiving his own nine lives was enough to make him wince in empathy. “It’ll be the hardest thing you’ve ever done, but you are strong enough to do this. I know you are. Your cats know it, too!”

            Shade’s courage seemed to return, and she stood up straight again as a calico molly with a flaming red tail trotted up to them.

            “I am Gingertail, a queen of TideClan and Flameflash’s mother.” She nodded to Eaglestar, who smiled. “With this life I give you bravery. Use it to stand by your clan, no matter what the cost may be.”

            This time, Shade was prepared for the agony. She took the life like a true warrior, jaw clenched and legs stiff with the effort of keeping herself from collapsing. When Gingertail backed away, Shade took the opportunity to take deep, slow breaths, accepting the burden instead of shying away from it.

            Three more cats came and went, TideClan cats of old that Eaglestar had never heard of before. There was Owlfeather, a broad-shouldered torbie molly that gave Shade the life of tranquility, and Twigfoot, a tiny gray warrior who referred to themselves as neither male nor female. They gave Shade the life of justice, and the two exchanged a nod of respect and understanding before Twigfoot departed. Then, a deaf and mute tom by the name of Stonetail came, and with Gingertail translating, told Shade he would be giving her the life of honor.

            At first, Eaglestar didn’t recognize the large gray tabby striding up to Shade, purring happily, his silver mane shining like moonlight.

            “No way. Petrelswoop?” he whispered, in awe of the cat who had been his healer.

            Petrelswoop just winked merrily at him before bending down to touch his nose to Shade’s. “With this life, I give you an open mind. Use it to adapt and accept the changing times.”

            This life didn’t hurt Shade as much as the others. Other than a pair of flattened ears and a grimace, she got through it just fine. Impressed, he nodded encouragingly at her before looking over to Petrelswoop. The elderly tabby dipped his head, an almost amused smirk gracing his muzzle, before brushing past him and rejoining his fellow spirits.

            A little shape barreled out from between the legs of Tidestar’s mother, eliciting a ripple of laughter from the nearby cats. Eaglestar stared down at the little kitten in equal parts surprise and sorrow; this baby couldn’t have been more than a half-moon old when she died.

            “I’m Mistkit!” She announced to a wide-eyed Shade, who raised a paw to unconsciously touch her own swollen belly. “I died ‘cause I saved my siblings from a hawk. With this life, I give you love. Sometimes the people who act like they don’t want it actually are the ones who need it the most.”

            Visibly bracing herself, Shade bent down to receive Mistkit’s life.

            Not for the first time, Eaglestar couldn’t tell what the tortoiseshell was thinking or feeling, but he was still worried about her when she got back up with a dazed expression on her face. Mistkit just gave a jaunty salute and hopped off, her stubby tail sticking up.

            “Are… are you good?” he whispered.

            “That was a literal child,” she rasped back.

            “Yeah.”

            Shade’s eighth life was given to her by a healer named Birchwhisker, the healer that came before Petrelswoop. Birchwhisker gave her the life of sympathy, a life that was apparently so painful Shade had to sit down after it was finished.

            The older molly murmured something Eaglestar couldn’t hear. Shade responded in kind, and Birchwhisker left them with the scent of herbs and shadowed woodlands.

            “What did she tell you?” he asked Shade, but she just shook her head.

            “Maybe later,” said the queen.

            It hit him that Shade only had one more life to go. Looking around, he turned just in time to see a black tom slip through the edge of the crowd.

            Shade bolted to her feet despite the weight of her pregnant belly, making no secret of her shock in response to the appearance of the newcomer. Without a word, she lurched forward to press her head against his chest.

            Eaglestar blinked in bewilderment. Shade knew this guy?

            “I knew you’d do something great one day,” the tom said quietly.

            “How… how are you here?” she demanded, shoulders quivering. “The last time I saw you was with our mom, in the alleyway with those dogs!”

            “Mom got away. I didn’t, and now I’m here to give you your ninth life,” the tom said proudly. Hazel eyes glinted mischievously.

            _Her brother!_

            “I’m sorry, Newt,” Shade choked.

            “Don’t be. I’ll be watching over you from the Realm of Endless Journeys. You and Hunter _and_ your kits,” Newt promised, pressing his muzzle against his sister’s. “With this life, I give you healing. That old life as a mercenary is over, and with it you can finally let go of all that pain. Your people await you in the mortal realm.”

            With a ripple of muscle and fur, Shade gasped as the last surge of energy flowed through her, sparks flying from her pelt and lighting up the spaces in between her toes. Tendrils of little lightning bolts crackled around her before joining above her head in a blinding crown. With a flash of stardust and fire, they disappeared, and if Eaglestar’s mind wasn’t playing tricks on him he could have sworn he saw a shimmering white mark burn itself into the space between her eyebrows.

            Shade broke from her trance with a desperate inhale. She looked down at one paw in utter disbelief, white claws shining like the crests of waves. Then, she looked at him.

            Eaglestar couldn’t remember feeling more delighted.

            “The lost clan has come home!” A familiar voice cried. Petrelswoop stood on a rock, head raised high in exuberance. “From now until the day you join us, you will be the new protector and servant of ShadeClan, its leader and one true guardian. Each of your nine lives is evidence to the fact that StarClan has gifted you with their blessing. Live every one with strength, with compassion and pride. Honor the warrior code, your ancestors, and above all, the cats who now serve you. All hail Shadestar, king and queen of the reforged!”

            Just as they had done with him, StarClan chanted the new leader’s name in one deafening yowl after another, but this time it wasn’t just a celebratory cheer. It was a victory cry, a song of freedom and relief that swelled within Eaglestar’s chest and left a heavy lump in his throat.

            _“Shadestar! Shadestar! Shadestar!”_ they shouted, bowing before the tortoiseshell in reverence. Eaglestar knelt as well. A laugh escaped him when he saw Shade’s eyes widen as they met his. All the tabby hoped was that she knew how happy he was for her.

            He thought of Thicket and the black queen sisters, every single rogue that had died under the rule of both the old gray tom and Red. For the first time, he hoped from the bottom of his heart that their souls could rest easy, wherever they were. There was no more hatred for the colony cats in his gut.

            _I can finally let go._

            The StarClan cats rose, and Eaglestar padded over to Shadestar. “Ready?”

            Shadestar was purring so loudly she could barely speak, so she settled for knocking her head against his shoulder as they turned back to the starlit sea. “Yeah. Let’s go home.”

           


	53. Chapter 53

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading my fic, guys! I'm so glad I got some dedicated readers to a story I thought would get absolutely zero attention. 
> 
> Shoutout to Wolfenlied, pondwhisker, Indigo, Code, Rowan, Quixotic Whisker, Zia, mintymocha, and Wolfy!
> 
> I'll start uploading the sequel sometime soon. Get ready for your obligatory roadtrip arc!

            When he jerked out of unconsciousness, he was underwater. He also had tried to breathe while underwater, Eaglestar quickly figured out as he flailed around before getting all four paws underneath him. Feeling like his chest was on fire, he dragged himself out of the pool and coughed up what felt like an entire ocean full of water. Well, at least he didn’t have any dignity left, anyways.

            Shadestar’s dry laughter echoed around the cavern. “Pfft, you should have seen your face, boy! One time Hunter sat on a wasp and made one just like it!”

            He hacked violently while shaking his head, hoping that was the last of the stuff. “Well, I’m glad one of us is having a good time right now. How are you feeling?”

            “Like I’ve been hit by a car, but like, in a _good_ way,” she purred. The tortoiseshell groaned as she rolled to her feet and stretched. “That was… there’s no words, Eaglestar. I can’t believe I actually got to _meet_ StarClan.”

            “I’ve been there a few times and it still blows me away,” Eaglestar agreed.

            Shadestar shook herself off, eyes still twinkling with mischievous delight. She opened her mouth to say something else, but she never got the chance.

            Her entire abdomen seized up as if invisible paws were kneading against it. Jaws agape in a silent yowl, Shadestar sunk to her belly, claws digging into the stone as if she was going to fall off the ground.

            “Shadestar!” _Oh, StarClan, the kits!_

            He scrambled over to her, cold talons of fear closing around his guts like an owl’s feet. Underneath the new leader’s dappled pelt, another ripple of muscle made her speckles dance like fireflies. It was then that he regretted not bringing Bluemoon.

            How could he have been so foolish?

            With a pained cry, Shadestar lurched to her feet once more, legs trembling with the effort of keeping herself upright. “No, no, not here. Too cold. Too small. Can’t see the sky.”

            “You want to go back outside?” he asked, uneasy. “It’s colder out there then it is in here, and it’s safer.”

            “I can’t give birth in this gods-forsaken cave, I just can’t!” she snarled. Without waiting for him, she plunged back into the tunnel that would take them back to the surface.

            “Wait!” He darted in after her. It was easy to catch up to her, but when he bumped against her rear end she hissed, fear and rage rolling off her like heat off fire. The tabby knew the only reason he didn’t get clawed was the sheer narrowness of the tunnel.

            “I can’t help you if you don’t let me touch you,” he insisted, hoping to StarClan she couldn’t smell his own terror.

            “Don’t need to touch me, just make sure I keep moving!” The shuffle of unsteady paws over stone resumed, and Eaglestar followed.

 _StarClan, I’ll never ask for anything again if you just get Shadestar out of here before the kits come!_ he begged.

            It was the longest, most dreadful experience of his life. Afraid of enraging the soon-to-be parent any further, he drifted several cat-lengths behind Shadestar, occasionally having to stop as she went through contraction after contraction. His world shrunk down to the brush of fur over rock, the cold leeching the heat from his paws, Shadestar’s labored breathing and dragging paws. There was absolutely no light. Normally, this would have not been a problem, but given their circumstances he would have given anything to catch a glimpse of what the hell was going on.

            He took a moment to think about his life up until now. Former showcat turned wild cat clan apprentice, then warrior who ran around with the semi-holy healer of said clan, and now here he was as its leader, stuck gods-knows-how-deep underground with a furious queen about to give birth.

            _Never a dull moment._

            They made turn after turn through the darkness, Shadestar refusing to stop even when she went through a contraction Eaglestar had no doubt was absolutely agonizing. If he was afraid of mollies before, now he was _terrified._ How was this queen going through the most difficult time in her life, in too much pain to even speak, and yet always found the strength to keep walking?

            Just as he was beginning to fear that they had somehow become lost in the Mooncave’s winding tunnel forever, a faint draft of fresh air hit his whiskers. He almost stopped dead in his tracks in disbelief, but Shadestar wasn’t having any of it.

            With a cry of determination, he heard her haul ass to the cave entrance. He galloped after her, moonlight slowly lighting up the world once more as they finally burst out of the tunnel together.

            There was no time to celebrate. With Shadestar leaning on him for support, he somehow got them back up to the forest and into the safety of the trees.

            “Over there,” she grunted, gesturing with her chin to a half-dead oak. There was an opening in its roots that a cat could squeeze through, but small enough to provide shelter from the early winter chill and larger predators.

            Thanking StarClan, Eaglestar guided her over to it. Moaning painfully, the clan leader all but tumbled into the little space and collapsed on her side.

            He watched her in a kind of helpless desperation, not knowing how he could help her with something like this. “Sh-Shadestar? What do you want me to do?”

            The lanky queen took several ragged breaths before answering him. It was clear she was already exhausted. “Nothin’. J-Just keep an eye out for… for anything that might think we taste good. Don’t try to get help until I’m done. I… I don’t wanna b-be alone.”

            “I’m right here,” he promised, scooting as close as he dared to the entrance and fluffing up his fur to block out the wind. “Just… remember to breathe. I won’t leave you.”

            There might have been a spark of gratitude in those stark hazel eyes, but then she seized up again with a gasp. White fangs bared themselves in a feral grimace. A rush of fluid spread out over the leaves behind her. They had made it just in time.

            Shadestar’s flank rippled again, and a dark shape appeared under her tail, shiny and wet and smelling like blood. With a howl of exertion, the tortoiseshell pushed, and it fell out in a slimy bundle that squirmed and wriggled around like a grub.

            Stunned beyond words, Eaglestar watched as Shadestar huffed in satisfaction and bent back to drag the thing to her belly. She licked it furiously and snapped up the translucent casing that covered the newborn like it was the most delicious piece of prey, _oh,_ StarClan, so _that’s_ how kits came out.

            He wasn’t sure if he was more grossed out or awestruck.

            The kit mewled and latched on to a teat, but before Shadestar could get comfortable another spasm made her jolt, almost dislodging the frustrated kit from its meal. It squeaked crankily but was quickly overshadowed by its mother squalling in pain as a sibling was forced out into the world. This kit came easier, and Shadestar was able to quickly repeat the process of cleaning the baby, this one a little smaller and with a bobbed tail, like Hunter’s.

            “Ha, looks like I’ll be calling that one… Rabbit,” she breathed.

            “Rabbit _kit,”_ he reminded her, his previous queasiness turning to incredulity at the raw beauty of these babies. “Shadestar, they’re… they’re _amazing.”_

            “Yeah,” she breathed, looking down at the twins with a grin of utter delight spreading across her face. “Holy _shit,_ I made these guys. Wow.”

            Before he could congratulate her, another contraction made the new mother yelp. _“Augh!_ I think there’s one more!”

            “You can do this!” he urged, wiggling his haunches in anticipation.

            Shadestar pushed with everything she had. Her breathing came faster and faster, drool stringing down from her jaws with the effort of expelling the kit. More blood leaked from her backside and filled the air with its sharp scent.

            Slowly, Eaglestar’s excitement began to turn to worry. The queen was putting out even more effort than she had when the first kit came, and nothing was happening.

            “… It’s stuck,” Shadestar wheezed at last. A slow, creeping horror filled those pale eyes like poison from a snake bite. “Eaglestar, I-I can’t get it out!”

            He reared up, unsheathed claws scoring marks in the dirt. His heart was going to beat itself right out of his chest. “W-Where is… can you feel where it is?”

            “It’s just out of the w-womb…”

            Out of ideas, he slunk into the den, pausing when the other cat growled at him. Waiting until the mother-rage faded from Shadestar’s eyes, Eaglestar slowly approached her and carefully placed a paw on her heaving stomach.

            He could feel the kit trying to move. Suddenly, he remembered what Bluemoon had told him once about difficult births: it was because the kit’s feet were coming out first instead of the head, as it should be. A skilled healer or doula could rotate the body around so the kit would come out head-first. Everything was usually fine after that.

            But _he_ certainly couldn’t rotate an unborn kitten, not unless he wanted to risk injuring or killing the poor thing. That left him with only one more choice.

            “Shadestar, this kit’s feet are facing out instead of its head, that’s why you’re having a hard time,” Eaglestar did his best to explain. “I-I-I’m going to have to push it out manually. Do I have your permission to proceed?”

            “I don’t care what you have to do, just save my child!” she rasped.

            He nodded in understanding and placed both paws right before where the kit’s head was. Then, he pushed down as hard as he dared.

            Shadestar screeched and kicked, but he felt the kit slide down farther. Following its progress, Eaglestar did it again, harder this time, as was rewarded with Shadestar clawing his muzzle hard enough to draw blood. He didn’t dare stop, not when he was so close, and he let the queen take her agony out on him as he pushed one last time.

            She gasped, stopping her assault with her claws still buried in one of his front legs. “It’s almost out! I can, I can just…”

            There was a bloodcurdling shriek, and a tiny dark blob of tortoiseshell fur plopped to the ground. Eaglestar dove in and started licking it like his life depended on it. The surprisingly sturdy membrane encasing the kitten broke, and she mewled and patted at his nose with a paw no bigger than one of his dewclaws.

            “I got you,” he laughed, breathing on her to warm her up before nosing the baby to her siblings. The little tortoiseshell latched on like a champ and started sucking.

            When a quick examination concluded that there were no more kittens in Shadestar’s belly, he crawled in front of her and flopped down to protect her and the kittens from the winter outside.

            “Don’t ask me if I’m okay. I feel like shit,” Shadestar croaked.

            “Yeah, no, that’s understandable,” he replied. StarClan, he was exhausted, and he barely even _did_ anything.

            At the tortoiseshell’s belly, Rabbitkit fussed as her brother tried to shove her away, already strong enough to put up a fight against the larger tom. Eaglestar was about to volunteer to help calm the squabbling babies, but the smallest kit, a black-and-rust molly, abruptly gave a loud squeal that shut the other two right up.

            He would have burst out laughing at the exchange, reminded of his own niece Dawnpaw and her constant attempts to soothe the rivalry between Spottedpaw and Pinepaw. But even watching the kits was tiring, and so when he was certain Shadestar was comfortably asleep he let the exhaustion take him as well.

<> 

            They must have slept through the night, because it was the first beams of sunlight breaking through the trees that dragged Eaglestar back to consciousness. With a massive yawn, he pulled himself from the den in the dead oak to stretch. Shadestar was still fast asleep with the kits, so when he caught the scent of squirrel not too far away from their makeshift camp he darted after it, finally catching the bushy-tailed critter halfway up a hemlock. A small creek nearby caught his attention on his way back, and he remembered Bluemoon telling him that queens needed to drink after they gave birth because they were usually dehydrated from the effort. Recalling how the healer used moss to soak up water, he gathered some off the base of a tree and dipped it in the creek.

            Upon dropping the squirrel before Shadestar’s muzzle she lurched out of a dead sleep and started gobbling it down like a starving cat. He pushed the dripping moss ball towards her as well, which she sucked on gratefully after she finished half of the squirrel.

            “Thanks,” she gasped, having forsaken breathing in exchange for rapid-fire eating. “You know, if you weren’t already a leader, you’d be a good doctor-cat or whatever you call ‘em.”

            “A healer? Yeah, I don’t think I have the guts for that. Helping you give birth was exciting, but I don’t think I want to do it as a career,” he snorted.

            “Ha. Same.”

            The three kittens were now dried out and fluffy, looking less like otherworldly demons and more like actual young cats. The tabby boy pedaled his little legs in his sleep and somehow managed to drool on both of his sisters.

            It was a captivating sight; Eaglestar could have probably spent the next moon watching their little antics and never get bored, but he knew that they both had homes to get back to. He and Shadestar needed to learn how to be clan leaders. The very thought threatened to make him nauseous with anxiety before he remembered he would have Bluemoon and Otterscratch and all his friends to help him, as well as the wisdom of the elders and senior warriors.

            _I won’t be alone,_ he told himself firmly.

            Shadestar seemed to be on the same wavelength as him. With a grunt, she heaved herself upright for the first time since giving birth and began rasping her tongue over her kits to wake them up. “You can carry one of the girls and I’ll take the other. How are we…”

            She trailed off, and Eaglestar could see she was beginning to realize there were more kittens than cats to carry them.

            “The tom can ride between my shoulders, he’s the biggest,” he assured her. “TideClan cats carry their kittens on their backs all the time.”

            “On their _backs?_ That’s weird,” Shadestar muttered.

            “Hey, it gets the job done and the kits think it’s the most exciting thing since biting Stone-eye’s tail. You can put him on there. Make sure he has enough fur to grab on to,” he said as he lowered himself to a crouch.

            Shadestar huffed in amusement as she rooted around the pile of kits for her son’s scruff. “You Maine Coons have enough fur for three cats. It’s a wonder you all don’t choke on your own hairballs- ah, here we go.”

            The dark tabby felt the little warm weight settle between his shoulder blades. It was a good thing his winter coat had only just begun to grow in, or he wouldn’t have been able to feel the kit there at all. Slowly, he stood, and when there was no protesting from his precious cargo he led the way out of the dead oak.

            The sun was at its highest in the early winter sky before they made it back to Shadestar’s camp in the glen. His anticipation grew with every step that carried him closer to the rogue’s new home, where he had no doubt Bluemoon and the others would be waiting.

            Beside him, the new clan leader lengthened her strides, Rabbitkit dangling from her jaws. A break in the trees appeared just over the next rise, and Eaglestar knew that they had succeeded in their mission.

            The first one to notice them was the tall gray molly Eaglestar met in the other camp. She perked up in relief when she saw them, opening her mouth to hail the leaders, and then she saw the kits.

            _“OH MY GODS!”_ she screamed, taking off down the ledge and into the hollow. “HUNTER! THEY’RE BACK AND SHADE’S GOT A SURPRISE FOR YOU!”

            Shadestar groaned. “There goes our casual entrance,”

            All at once, cats streamed out of the dens to see what was going on. When they saw the kittens a chorus of gasps and cheers rose up and filled the hollow. Hunter, Shadestar’s mate, poked his head out between two other tabbies with an expression of utter confusion, but when he saw the kittens his brown eyes went perfectly round. He darted over to them and Shadestar and pressed himself to her, visibly trembling. Puddle, the gray tabby king, picked up the bobtailed molly to help the new parents transfer their litter to the nursery.

            Eaglestar watched them go, wondering if one day he could ever have something like that. It didn’t seem very likely. Maybe Bluemoon, if he even wanted to consider it, would have some ideas.

            A familiar scent filled his nose just as he finished that thought.

            The loud purr was out of his chest before he could stop himself. He turned to shove his head against the slender healer that wound himself around Eaglestar. It was utterly glorious, to have Bluemoon so close after what felt like so long.

            “I missed you,” Eaglestar whined happily.

            He tried to paw Bluemoon closer, but the Siamese pulled back warily, dark eyes darting around at all the cats around them. “We’re in public, Eaglestar.”

            “So? We have StarClan’s blessing. Rosepetal told me,” he announced.

            “Wh… wait, what?”

            They were interrupted by Otterscratch’s loud yowling just before he crashed into Eaglestar, almost knocking the larger tabby off his feet. “You’re back! Bluemoon was losing his damn mind all morning, wondering where you were. And Shade… star?”

            “Her name is Shadestar,” Eaglestar confirmed with a laugh as he righted himself. “StarClan gave her nine lives and everything. It was incredible.”

            “And you made it happen. Because of you, a clan that was lost to time was able to come back home,” Otterscratch pointed out, becoming uncharacteristically serious.

            “I had a lot of help,” Eaglestar reminded him.

            “Just shut up and accept the fact you’re awesome.”

            He couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “If my loyal deputy insists!”

            Bluemoon gave him a pointed look like, _we’re having a talk later, Mister._ Eaglestar leaned against him merrily and watched as the several TideClan warriors who had stayed with ShadeClan to get them settled said their goodbyes to their new friends. Hopefully, the two groups that were once enemies would never have to fight each other again.

            Shadestar padded up to him, and they bumped foreheads like old friends. “Thank you, Eaglestar. For everything.”

            “Let’s meet again at the full moon to see how things are going. Until then…” he trailed off, not wanting to say goodbye to the new clan leader.

            “Until then,” she agreed, fangs glinting with her old Shadestar-smirk. “May the gods and StarClan look upon you with the greatest favors.”

            Eaglestar didn’t know any of the gods the rogues worshipped, but he bowed to Shadestar one last time before standing. “And you as well.”

            The tortoiseshell trotted back to the nursery, clearly eager to get back to her newborns. Beside the nursery, a pair of apprentice-age kits sparred with their mothers. Hunter called a few other cats over to organize a border patrol. Three returning toms and a molly carried prey to the elders’ den, who were eagerly welcomed inside.

            It was so surreal to see the signs of clan life already blooming, and Eaglestar almost wished he could stay longer to enjoy the comforting hustle and bustle. But it was not to be, not with his own people waiting for him by the sea.

            Bluemoon looked up at him, a purr rumbling in his throat. “Ready to go home?”

            He purred back. “Yeah. Let’s go home.”

<> 

            That night, all of TideClan joined together in celebration.

            There was storytelling and fishing contests and poetry. The apprentices went cliff-jumping, followed by the warriors. The queen Snowsky had to stop her son, Ivykit, from doing the same, resulting in a screeching kitten who had to be put to bed early and many laughing elders. Brightclaw and Oceansong held a wrestling match inside the cave. Lightningstripe, Aukletflight, and Softstep started singing some old tune that consisted of mostly screeching at different pitches.

            Eaglestar joined in for the first half, jumping from the cliff’s edge into the ocean with Sunpaw and Otterscratch. He listened to Blossompelt tell a story about a fiery ginger tom who had once been a house cat, who then joined a clan of his own in a land far, far away. Although he faced many hardships and even threats from those he used to call clanmates, he rose in the ranks of his clan and one day became leader.

            Eaglestar liked that story.

            As soon as he could, the dark tabby slipped away from the party and headed down to the beach. The moon had disappeared from the night sky and wouldn’t be back for a few sunrises, leaving the stars to shine in all of their glory. He took a moment to enjoy the sight of countless glittering sparks across the heavens, imagining each one a cat from StarClan watching over him and his people.

            It wasn’t too long before he let his gaze trail back down to the earth below. Of course, Bluemoon was already waiting for him at the ocean’s edge. The healer was now fully grown, the brown on his legs, face, and tail darkened with age. There was something more elegant about the length of his limbs, less hilariously gangly like Eaglestar was used to seeing him as. Tall, pointed ears were as perfect as seashells.

            His paws carried him over to Bluemoon before he even realized what he was doing. The fur on his shoulders brushed past Bluemoon’s head and made a brown-and-pink ear flutter out of reflex, making the smaller tom huff and knock his head to the offending flank.

            “StarClan spoke to me in a dream, they want their divine beauty back,” said Eaglestar.

            “That is so _terrible!”_ Bluemoon cried, breaking off into laughter and smacking at him with sheathed paws. The uneasiness that had been drifting around them fell away in a heartbeat. “Have you been hanging out with Aukletflight too much?”

            “Pfft, no. Not when every path I take leads back to _you.”_

            “Eaglestar, _stop,_ I’m gonna die!”

            They collapsed to the sand, laying side by side and cackling like a pair of loons. A particularly adventurous wave rolled up higher than the rest, which Eaglestar found out when his whole ass was suddenly soaked with freezing cold water. Bluemoon reacted first, jumping several tail-lengths into the air with a squeal and taking off inland.

            Eaglestar hared after him without hesitation. With a couple of flying leaps, he tackled the healer into the ground, rolling over a few times before he fell back against the cool sand with Bluemoon straddling him.

            He got a kiss to the nose. “You’re obnoxious.”

            “Yeah, but you love me.”

            “I do,” Bluemoon agreed easily. “Which brings us right to our little… situation.”

            “… Rosepetal says there doesn’t have to be any… situations. StarClan doesn’t care, Bluemoon! We’re the ones who came up with the codes, and we’re the ones who get to change them if we want.”

            Bluemoon slides off him and sits down, obviously shocked by the news. “You’re saying… the very foundation of rules clan life is based off of… doesn’t really mean anything?”

            “Of course it means something! It just… it can _change_ if it needs to,” Eaglestar explained. “We and all the cats after us don’t need to torture ourselves with laws that are no longer necessary. Stuff won’t always be the same as it is now, just like how it was back then isn’t like how it is today.”

            “… Give me an example.”

            “Well, I guess more cats are coming forward these days about what genders they like, or if they even like any, or even if they _have_ a gender? Shadestar could explain it better; she’s a queen but sometimes she’s a tom. Rosepetal liked other mollies. So did Stormstar.” He swallowed, a lump in his throat swelling up at the mention of his lost friends. “And we didn’t always have parties, or poetry, or legends to tell. We didn’t always have TideClan.”

            A slow, dawning realization lit Bluemoon’s eyes. “You’re right. I guess I never thought of it that way. Petrelswoop always acted like the Code of Healers had been around since the night these cliffs were formed.”

            “Oh, Petrelswoop,” Eaglestar chuckled.

            “You got that right!”

            They lapsed into comfortable silence, leaning against each other and watching the tide roll in, wave after reliable wave.

Slowly, but surely, a kind of weary triumph filled Eaglestar’s chest, lighting him from the inside out like his own soul was turning into the sun. It made him sit up straighter, lift his head a little higher. Tomorrow would bring a whole new set of struggles, both as Bluemoon’s mate and as the clan leader. They still had so much to talk about.

 _Mate._ He had a mate. _StarClan,_ that was surreal to think about.

“We won, didn’t we?” he asked.

            There was still a prophecy to fufill, cats to deal with, winter to prepare for. But for the first time in his life, Eaglestar was looking forward to it.

            Bluemoon purred even louder. “We did, Eaglestar. We did.”

            Eaglestar wanted to say something else about how they had won together, anything would have done, but then the sky above them came alive.

            Giant ribbons of green and violet and pink rippled out and spread across the night. Their dance was slow and lazy, a swollen band of heavenly rivers that threatened to overwhelm Eaglestar with its mere presence. He had seen something like it in StarClan, but this display was even more brilliant than in the realm of spirits.

            _“Oh!”_ Bluemoon gasped. “Oh, my! _Wow!”_

            “What is it?” Eaglestar demanded, frightened and captivated in equal measures.

            “The Lights! They come in the winter, sometimes. Blossompelt told me about them once, but I never thought I’d live to actually see them!”

            “They’re harmless?”

            Bluemoon threw his head back and laughed. “Yes, they won’t hurt us. I… _oh,_ realms above and below… _I can’t…”_

            At first Eaglestar couldn’t see what was making the healer tremble and well up with tears. He scoured the sky, the alarm from before coming back in full force before his mind was able to process what it was looking at.

            Cats, dozens and dozens of them. As one big group, they made their way across the horizons, stars beginning to glitter in their pelts and sparkling out of their footsteps. Some leapt and danced for joy. Others galloped with a single-minded purpose towards a destination Eaglestar could not see. There were old cats who limped and queens with kittens and warriors who ran together in packs.

            He and Bluemoon turned to look at each other, and then back at the Lights, filled with the glittering forms of formerly lost souls. Neither of them spoke. They didn’t have to. Together, a clan leader and his mate watched the spirits of the lost forest tribe return to StarClan. And maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him, but Eaglestar could have sworn he saw a massive silver molly run to greet a tabby queen and a black-and-white tom.

            The three bumped foreheads, enemies no more, and walked off into the stars.

 

 

_El fin._

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh won't you come with me
> 
> Where the ocean meets the sky
> 
> And as the clouds roll by
> 
> We'll sing the song of the sea!


End file.
